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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24019051">Hiding In Public</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Negira1239/pseuds/Negira1239'>Negira1239</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alolan Adventures, Bob's Your Uncle, Both of them are still young, FirstFriendShipping, Fluff... and some humor... and maybe angst, Gallades and Gardevoir, Hiding In Public, M/M, non-canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:21:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>64,479</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24019051</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Negira1239/pseuds/Negira1239</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a series of one shots/moments that I combined to fit all into one story line. </p><p>Hiding in Public is about Gou and Satoshi’s decision to hide their relationship from everyone. They still maintain their daily lives, but they hide their love for each other from everyone for safety reasons. </p><p>Shenanigans ensue when they have to go to Galar, Alola, and some other places.</p><p>Btw lots of fluff, lots of firstfriendshipping, and lots of cute Pokemon.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gou | Goh/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>203</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Gallade and Galar</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello! </p><p>So umm... just letting you know that by reading this, you are amazing! And that you’re a snack! (Hehehe guess where that’s from) </p><p>Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Satoshi and Gou go to Sinnoh to learn more about the Gardevoirs and the Gallades living there. They discover that they both like each other, but realized that it would be unsafe for them to continue their relationship. Therefore, they learn to hide it; savoring the quality time they would spend by themselves and act normal in the lab.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p3">
  <strong>Six months prior.</strong>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou and Satoshi were in the Sinnoh region for one of Professor Sakuragi’s interests in Gallade. Apparently, this time of year, Kirlia evolve into either Gardevoir or Gallade based on their gender, and the professor wanted them to investigate these psychic and fairy type Pokémon on how Gallade behave when they leave their tribe.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The tribe, consisting of multiple Gardevoir, Kirlia, and Ralts, hold a sort of ceremony where the school of Kirlia evolve into their final evolutions. And when males do evolve into Gallades, they can decide whether they want stay to protect the tribe or they can venture off and find another tribe to have a kid with.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">However, at the current situation, they were amazed to see something else.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Three Gallades- all in the same tribe- were fighting. Two Gallades -the one standing was shiny and the other on the floor- stood on their own whilst another stood in front of the tribe. That Gallade’s wide blades were spread out, protecting the tribe from the other two.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two Gallade cried and shouted against the solo one, seeming to argue about something between them.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The Gallade protecting the tribe lowered his arms and walked towards the two Gallade. He pushed them both and separated the group; the more silent Gallade was grabbed and pulled towards the tribe whilst the other stood up ready to fight.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The Shiny Gallade cried loudly and used night slash against the apparent tribe leader. The dark energy stored in the attack blasted forward and struck the leader’s back, making him let go of the silent Gallade that he took from the shiny. That Gallade quickly ran towards the Shiny and hid behind him, muttering some sort of response as the leader turned around menacingly.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Furious, the tribe leader grinned, feeling the effects of night slash powering him up.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That Gallade has Justified,” Gou realized. “Hitting him with a dark move gives him an attack boost!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The tribe leader Gallade shouted as he ran towards the shiny opponent. Using his blades, fists, and knees, the tribe leader went all out and started pummeling the shiny Gallade. It had used close combat, and with the attack boost, its blows were much stronger in comparison to before.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The other Gallade hiding in the protection of the shiny screamed in horror as his friend fell knees first to the ground. The shiny Gallade had taken damage prior to the disengagement, and now it was close to fainting from the close combat.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gallade!” The tribe leader kicked the shiny Gallade to the side and approached the now trembling Gallade. “Gall Gallade!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The trembling Gallade refused, screaming his denial.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gallade,” the tribe leader picked up the other Gallade by the throat and held him high into the air. Its eyes turned red and stared directly at the other. Gallade tried to resist, shaking and using psycho cut to escape the hole, but it couldn’t do it in time. The Gallade had fallen asleep to hypnosis.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">And suddenly, the tribe leader stuck both hands on the Gallade and started absorbing the other’s energy. The tribe leader grinned as he felt his injury from night slash heal instantly; the Gallade in front of it was now trembling in fear whilst in its sleep.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That’s dream eater,” Gou said in shock, holding his rotor phone that was recording.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gallade!” The shiny Gallade ran and used air slash on the tribe leader. As the leader let gou and fell to the ground, it quickly grabbed its friend, and fled.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“We have to go after them,” Satoshi told Gou.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“We can’t just go after them!” Gou held the raven haired boy back. “We can’t interfere with Pokémon ceremonies!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“But I can’t let those Pokémon suffer any longer!” Satoshi and his Pikachu dashed after the two Gallades. Gou looked down at his Raboot, and the rabbit can only shrug it’s shoulders before running after Satoshi. Gou sighed loudly before running after them.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two Gallades were besides a river, leaning against a tree in the shade of the harsh sun. The shiny Gallade, tired after the battle and from carrying the sleeping Gallade away, was now out of energy and had passed out. The other Gallade had woken up and realized the situation. It smiled upon seeing that it’s friend was safe and sleeping beside them.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gallade grabbed a handful of water and splashed it upon itself and it’s shiny friend, and focused on it. The water started to sparkle and shine; it radiated and rippled across the surfaces of skin before integrating itself into the Gallades. Gallade can feel itself recover, and smiled happily as its shiny friend was healing too.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi and Pikachu jumped out of the bushes and ran towards the two Gallades. “Oi!” Satoshi greeted, slowling down as he got closer.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gallade, startled by the sudden noise, turned around and saw a random human and his Pikachu running towards them. The Gallade realized in horror that they were about to be captured, and that they had been caught. The blade Pokémon stood up and readied its blades as Satoshi and Pikachu stopped running.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Calm down Gallade,” Satoshi begged, “We’re here to help you.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gallade barked a refusal and used psycho cut on the Pikachu. The yellow mouse jumped out of the way, standing still and not using an attack.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“We’re not gonna hurt you!” Satoshi told the Gallade. At that moment, Gou and Raboot had caught up and appeared behind Satoshi. The Gallade panicked more and sent more psycho cuts towards the opponent.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Pikachu and Raboot were able to dodge all of them, but one of them was about to hit Gou. Satoshi jumped and tackled Gou out of harm’s way, feeling the psychic energy hurt him at his side.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Satoshi!” Gou cried with concern as Satoshi groaned in pain. The black haired boy quickly set the boy down and started to panic, determining whether to call for medical help or for an emergency vehicle to show up. Satoshi was holding in the pain, trying his best not to cry as their Pokémon stared in awe.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">And Gallade was staring in awe too. Not because of Satoshi’s injury, but because of the feelings it can feel from Gou.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou was emitting an emotion of fear, definitely. But something was riding on that fear, and it was steering him to insanity. Gallade was able to recognize that feeling as the one it had for it’s friend.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Just as Gou was about to tell Rotom to call emergency services, Gallade shows up behind Gou. The boy jumped over Satoshi‘a body, using his as a shield in case the Pokémon were to attack again. But the attacks never came. In fact, he could feel his worries going away too- in a rapid movement.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou looked up and saw that the Gallade was concentrating and was sharing its energy with both him and Satoshi. The boy looked back to Satoshi, who was now quiet, and was less irritated by the slash to his side. In fact, Satoshi ended up smiling towards the psychic fighting type.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">When the hearing stopped, Gou took out his Pokédex and scanned Gallade. “Gallade, the blade Pokémon. Psychic and Fighting type. Sharply attuned to others' wishes for help, this Pokémon seeks out those in need and aids them in battle.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“This Pokémon knows Psycho Cut, Heal Pulse, Life Dew, and Teleport.” The Gallade turned towards its Shiny friend, and then back at the two perplexed trainers. It muttered a small whisper before falling forward, fainting on top of Gou.</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi, Pikachu, and Raboot all went to pick and find Oran berries whilst Gou stayed behind to look after the two Pokémon. The shiny Gallade was still knocked out and the other Gallade was running a high fever. Gou looked back at the interaction, using his Rotom phone, and rewatched what had happened.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Nurse Joy, back at the Pokémon Center miles away from where they were, had told them about the heard of Gardevoir and Kirlia. The Kirlia that evolve into Gardevoir typically look after the tribe, and the Gallades that come have the choice of staying in the tribe or they can go find a new tribe to have a family with.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Nurse Joy also told them that the Kirlia can grow up to become different roles such as brute force attacker, special long range attacker, healer, and the other roles. She mentioned that there was a special male Kirlia that learned both Heal Pulse and Life Dew, a rare combination of moves that aren’t normally learned. She also mentioned that the group somehow had given birth to a shiny Ralts, which had evolved into a Kirlia after a recent forest fire.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou looked at the two Gallades and realized in utter disbelief that these two were the ones Nurse Joy talked about. But now that he thought about it, if the males had the choice to either stay or leave, why did the tribe leader want the healer to stay? Weren’t they entitled to their own choice?</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">He looked back at the recording, and rewatched the whole thing undergo once more. The tribe leader wanting the healer Gallade, the shiny Gallade protecting his friend, he watched everything once again. And again. And again.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey Gou,” Satoshi returned with Pikachu and Raboot, carrying a load of apples, Oran berries, and some other fruits. “Anything happen while we were gone?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m rewatching the fight,” Gou explained as Satoshi set his stuff down. “And I just don’t get it.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Get what?” Satoshi sat beside Gou and looked at Rotom’s screen. “The two Gallades are friends right?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“But why did the tribe leader want to separate the two?” Gou rewinded the video to the point where the tribe leader kicked the shiny Gallade away. “Gallade can separate and go off on their own journeys right?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Maybe this one wasn’t allowed to,” Satoshi suggested, noting to the healer Gallade. “Most tribes have a healer Pokémon.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“But why did these two Gallade want to go together?” Gou asked Satoshi. “They must be really close friends if they want to-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">And that’s when it clicked in Gou. Before the healer Gallade had a fever, it looked back at its shiny friend and smiled.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <em>No... could it be...?</em>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Do you think these two Gallade are...” Gou swallowed his words. “Gay?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“What’s wrong with that?” Satoshi asked as he prepared some river water for the Gallade to drink.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Nothing,” Gou sighed. “But maybe that’s why the tribe leader was so adamant about separating them.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Maybe,” Satoshi wrung out the damp towel over Gallade’s head and submerged it in the cool river water. He made sure it wasn’t too wet before putting the towel back on Gallade’s head. “But what made you think they were gay?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“The way they looked at each other,” Gou showed him the recordings and zoomed into the Gallade’s eyes. Both Gallades had the same look on their eyes when they looked at each other, and for some reason, this was resonating really well with Gou. He couldn’t fully explain it to Satoshi, but he felt as if he was being empathetic to them.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gallade!” The shiny Gallade shot up from sleeping and was heavily breathing. It could still feel some pain in its chest and upper body, but it feel some healing had undergone. Satoshi and Gou froze as the shiny Gallade looked in fear as the blade Pokémon looked around for his friend.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gallade,” Satoshi called over. The shiny Gallade was left at the tree because both Satoshi and Gou didn’t want to wake him up. Plus, he was too heavy to pull over. “Over here!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The shiny Pokémon turned to the sound of Satoshi’s voice and saw it’s companion lying on the ground with a towel above its head. No doubt, it was having a fever. The blade Pokémon growled at Satoshi and Gou, preparing its blades for an upcoming attack.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gallade!” Gou help up his arms, “we’re not your enemies! We just want to help!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Your friend has a fever!” Satoshi held his arms up too. “We were worried!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Pikachu and Raboot ran in front of them and started talking to the shiny Gallade. They both pointed out how they wanted to help, and the small pile of Oran Berries on the ground was for them.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Eventually, the shiny blade Pokémon gave up its will to fight and ran towards its healer friend. Satoshi and Gou watched carefully as the shiny Gallade bent down and touched its head towards the other Gallade. They weren’t sure if it was a psychic energy resonance sync or if they were kissing, so the two looked away regardless. They felt as if they were intruding on their privacy.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gallade...” the shiny Gallade fell on its bottom and breathed heavily, smiling that they were safe and that everything seemed over.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Would you like an oran berry?” Satoshi offered the shiny.</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3">Thanks to the oran berries, the shiny Gallade had enough energy to walk around. Gou has found a Pokémon center just about two miles down the mountain, and suggested bringing in the sick Gallade. There was slight hesitation at first, due to the distance, but they all decided to go for it when the sun was starting to hide behind the numerous storm clouds.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Dragonite had been a big help, not only carrying the two Pokémon trainers, but being able to carry the two Gallades as well. The six of them (seven including Dragonite) made it to the Pokémon center before the rain started to pour.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou checked in the two Gallades into the Pokémon center as Satoshi rewarded his Dragonite for his heroic deed. Nurse Joy promised them that the two wouldn’t be in separate rooms, and started the healing process for the both of them.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“The two Gallade are inside,” Gou said as he walked outside to check on Satoshi. “They should be good by tomorrow morning.” And then he noticed the look on Satoshi’s face. “You... you’re going back aren’t you?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi dawned a look of seriousness and anger as he was about to get back on Dragonite. “I have to- What that Pokémon had done was wrong.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You shouldn’t solve other Pokémon’s problems like this,” Gou stood closer to the Dragonite. “You’re gonna get hurt.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I don’t care if I get hurt,” Satoshi told his friend. “I only care that my friends are safe!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">A memory flashed in Gou’s mind showing the scene of Satoshi jumping in front of those Ivysaurs and Bulbasaurs from way ago in Kanto.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“But I care if you get hurt!” Gou shouted back, holding back tears. “I care because you’re my best friend! I want you to be safe too!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">A memory flashed in Satoshi’s mind of Gou telling him that he was crazy for helping the Ivysaurs. He remembered them being on top of a platform; and that he was about to dive to help that Pokémon.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I can’t bare to see any more of my friends get hurt,” Satoshi brought up against Gou. “That’s why I have to go.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Please don’t go!” Gou cried, falling to the floor on his knees. The boy begged the dragon to not ascend, and continued crying on the ground. “Please don’t go Satoshi! I can’t see you get hurt too!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gou...” Satoshi got down from Dragonite and looked at the crying black haired boy. The rain outside was making the scene look darker, but Satoshi could still see every detail of Gou distinctively. The boy looked up to his face, and Satoshi could see live tears coming down from his eyes onto his chin.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Satoshi...” Gou muttered, his cheeks turning pink and his eyes glistening with the tears and the rain drops. “I... love you too much to see you get hurt.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi blanked out from the second word of that statement. Unbeknownst to him, Gou tackles Satoshi in a hug, and Dragonnite followed along. The dragon wrapped the both of them in his arms and dragged them both into a dry patch under an awning.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gou...” Satoshi nervously looked at his friend- his best friend now. “I... I love you too much to see you get hurt too.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two boys made eye contact once again, before closing their eyes and heading in for a kiss.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">That night, Satoshi didn’t go and the two snuggled with each other in their shared room.</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3">The next day, Satoshi and Gou were greeted by the two Gallades outside of the Pokémon center. The two blade Pokémon looked at the trainers nervously, before approaching them.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“What’s wrong?” Satoshi asked the two Pokémon. “You two are free. You two can go on your own journey and be happy.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The shiny Gallade stood in front of Satoshi and the healer Gallade stood in front of Gou. They both bent down in a bow, and stayed like that.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“They...” Gou turned to Satoshi. “They want to come with us?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“But what about your journey?” Satoshi asked. “What about the other Pokémon?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The shiny one barked a few insults and comments, but was stopped by the healer Gallade grabbing the shiny’s hand. Shiny Gallade halted his barking and blushed at the immediate contact.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gallade Gallade,” the healer one said, finishing up the other’s sentence. “Gallade.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You really do want to come with us,” Satoshi asked. “Don’t you?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two looked at Satoshi, and then Gou, and then nodded for approval.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I guess they do,” Gou brought out his poke ball, and Satoshi brought out his. They caught them both at the same time and returned home that day.</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two new Gallades in the lab observatory gardens had been a smashing hit. The professor and his assistant were amazed to see the two Gallades brought home; not to mention, Gou brought back a copious amount of research.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">They learned of the existence of the group tribe antics, and that Mount Coronet was loaded with dawn stones everywhere. Since Satoshi and Gou were able to observe the crowd of Kirlia evolve just by entering a cave, they were able to understand how Gallades came to be as well.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">They also found out that the group dynamics depended on what type of Pokemon was available. Such as that in the group, there’s a healer, a physical attacker, a tank, a range shooter, etcetera and found that the group had one of each within it (most of them were Gardevoirs but they realized that Gou’s Gallade was being pulled back into the group because it was the group’s designated healer. They also found out that the shiny was the previous attacker, but it got replaced by the new tribe leader).</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Luckily, Rotom didn’t share with them the recordings of the tribe leader fighting with the shiny. Gou was so pleased to see that their fight didn’t get shared publicly, and that they were able to keep everything under wraps.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">They spent the remainder of the day inside the lab garden, introducing the two Gallade to their new home.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey... Satoshi?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi turned around to his friend Gou. The two Gallades had found a comfortable home near the Golurk and were now creating a bed of sorts.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Yeah Gou?” The two haven’t had the time to talk after they gotten the two Gallades. The flight home, they were silent, and they were both busy after showing their findings.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“What are we?” Gou asked. “Are we... together?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">They both watched as the two Gallade held hands together whilst sitting comfortably on the tree tops. The sunset in the dome was quite a sight for them to see.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I like for us to be together...” Satoshi told the other. “I’m just... worried.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m worried too,” Gou told the other, remembering the events with the Gallade. “I don’t want us to be outed or... separated.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Me neither...” Satoshi sighed. “I like you too much to not continue this.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I like whenever I’m with you...” Gou leaned his head against Satoshi’s. “What if... we hide it?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hide it?” Satoshi wondered. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“We hide it everywhere we go,” Gou explained. “And we only kiss or hug or hold hands whenever we’re alone.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That sounds like torture,” Satoshi sighed.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I just...” Gou took a deep breath. “I don’t want to risk seeing you in danger. If we play it safe like this, and hold it in for a few more years... then when we’re older we’ll have more freedom.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You’re right about that.” Satoshi thought about it. “I’m gonna miss your kisses though.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Then kiss me so good that you’ll remember it, stupid.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two turned their heads and leaned in for one more kiss. The sun had officially set and the last moment of sunshine slide away from the boys' faces. The night time was now covering the dome, and the sound of bugs chirping and the light sounds of snoring commenced. The Gallades above smiled at the two boys. They looked at each other and smiled once more. The two boys separated their lips, turning their heads down so that their foreheads connected and the tips of their noses touched lightly. Their eyes were stilled closed, but they could see each other's bright smiles. </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m gonna remember it then,” Satoshi told Gou that night. “And I’m gonna savor it as well.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And I will too.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two boys waved goodbye to their Pokémon before going back to the lab.</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Six months has passed and surprisingly, no one in the world has figured out that they were dating.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">At first, they struggled not trying to stand next to each other, hold hands, kiss, and many other activities. It was hard to keep such a secret from people, and it did hurt that they were keeping it from people that they trusted. But they had to learn how to do it, and they had to learn how to do it as fast as they can. And that meant pulling out all the stops.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">It wasn’t until a month after that Satoshi and Gou were really good at hiding their relationship. They would still stand next to each other, but they stopped giving each other small back touches or foot taps. Instead, they would simply smile at each other, and continue on their work.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">But whenever they were assigned to go out and to conduct research, they went ham on spending that time with the upmost quality.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Their first assignment after Gallade was in the Galar region, where they were supposed to research the Galarian Form of Meowth and it’s evolution: Perrserker. They spent the day flying to Hammerlocke and decided to stay at a hotel until the next day. Experiencing massive jet lag, the two boys decided to call it a day and to go to bed early.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Their room was a rather small room with two double beds and a desk and chair inside. There was also a mini fridge as well as a television, and they had their own private bathroom and shower.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“We are not at that stage yet,” Gou immediately told Satoshi as they walked past the bathrooms. Raboot and Pikachu ran in and they both claimed the left most bed.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“So tired,” Satoshi muttered as he closed the bedroom door behind him. “It was hard to sleep on that plane.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You kept sleeping on my shoulder and I was stuck there,” Gou complained once again. “You wouldn’t even let me go to the bathroom!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I couldn’t sleep regardless,” Satoshi dragged himself and dove directly on the right bed. “Bed...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Take a shower before you go to bed stupid,” Gou dragged him up by lifting the boy to stand. He hoisted the boy up by wrapping his arms around his front in a hug almost, and pulled back. Once Satoshi was able to stand on his own, Gou decided to let go, until-</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You can let go now,” Satoshi commented, earning a blush from Gou. Gou didn’t realize that he had left his hands on Satoshi for quite a while. He pulled them out and hid them behind his back, shrieking a little in the moment of realization. Both Pikachu and Raboot snickered to themselves as Gou bowed to apologize.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I didn’t say you should let go,” Satoshi gave Gou a quick peck before grabbing his change of clothes from his bag.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Stop teasing me like that!” Gou half shouted, and half pouted. “Why do I put up with you?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Because you love me,” Satoshi smirked, his voice sounding mushy and warm. “And I love you!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Shut up,” Gou said, a smile warming up on his face as Satoshi passed him to go shower first.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Why don’t we get delivery today?” Satoshi asked. “Or you can go out and go buy food back.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Actually I will do that,” Gou grabbed his Rotom phone. “I saw a curry place earlier and it smelled so good.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’ll take a shower and then we’ll have dinner?” Satoshi smiled more in excitement, slowly forgetting how tired he was from jet lag. “Let’s do it!”</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The curry place was fairly inexpensive, and Gou had gotten two different curries for him, Satoshi, Pikachu, and for Raboot to try. Gou returned to the hotel room with Pikachu and Raboot by his side, returning to see Satoshi changed into his pajamas watching some Galarian television.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">On the television was champion Leon taking on Gym Leader Bea and her Machamp. Charizard has just used flamethrower and the fighting type Pokémon was struggling to dodge.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You’re back!” Satoshi cheered as Pikachu jumped into his arms. Gou set the take out on the table and started to unpack it. The two curries came in two tubs, and there was a third for rice. He made sure to ask for extra bowls and utensils and napkins- just in case.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I missed you,” Satoshi whispered into Gou’s ear, making him blush.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I missed you too,” Gou muttered back as he opened the lid to the curry.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Are you talking to me or to the food?” Satoshi asked, noticing how Gou’s mouth was watering to the smell of the curry.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Neither,” Gou smirked. “I miss Galar.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You wound me,” Satoshi fell backwards to the bed, taking Pikachu with him. “I might die tonight from that.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You’re being a little more dramatic than usual,” Gou finished the preparations and handed Satoshi the bowl of curry rice. “Here. Remember to blow.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Ittekimasu!” Satoshi took a spoonful of curry rice, and paused in amazement as he never tasted anything this sweet and savory before. “It’s... so good...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Pikachu and Raboot cheered as well, eating a small portion of curry whilst also eating their poke feed. Gou hadn’t taken a bite yet. Instead, he watched Satoshi and the Pokémon eat with enjoyment on their faces.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gou...” Satoshi looked worried, seeing that Gou hadn’t touched his food. “Why aren’t you eating?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m just...” Gou took a spoonful and lifted it up. “Savoring every moment we can act like this... you know?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi scooted closer to Gou and planted a big, curry stained lips, kiss on his cheek. Gou cried out in disgust as he can feel the curry sauce on his cheek and tried to grab a napkin as Satoshi and the Pokémon laughed at the big brown kiss mark.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“So much for savoring the moment,” Gou lifted his spoon and took his first bite of the night. “I spoke too soon. This curry is so good!”</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3">“So... are we sharing a bed?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">It was now barely 8:45pm. Gou had taken a shower after dinner and Satoshi was already in the right bed. Both Raboot and Pikachu were dozing off on their side, but Satoshi had left a great amount of space as well.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Why not?” Satoshi muttered. He was almost asleep, but he had been pinching himself to stay awake long enough for Gou to join him. “We need to... spend... quality time.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou’s heart skipped a beat as he walked closer and closer to the bed. He lifted the blanket up and sat along the bed side.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Are you sure this is alright?” Gou asked once more.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Please Gou,” Satoshi half begged. Half only because he was so tired from jet lag. “I miss you.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m with you every day dummy,” Gou scoffed as he picked up his Rotom phone for an alarm.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“No,” Satoshi implied. “I miss kissing you and... I miss being able to be close to you... and I miss seeing you happy with me.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou set the alarm for tomorrow morning and placed the phone on the table. He got under the covers and squished himself close to Satoshi, who immediately draped an arm over him.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Okay this isn’t going to work,” Gou said as he turned in bed to face Satoshi. He got his arm off too in the process. “I’m a right side sleeper.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“So?” Satoshi asked, releasing a large yawn. “It doesn’t matter. We just sleep it through and we’ll be fine.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou yawned as well, catching the contagious yawn as well. “That’s if I can go to sleep.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Try facing your left tonight,” Satoshi suggested. “Maybe by not looking at me you can sleep better.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I call sleeping against the wall next time,” Gou said as he turned around. He saw the Pokémon on the other side using different pillows to sleep. Pikachu was sprawled on top of a pillow whilst Raboot was lying down, head against a pillow.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou closed his eyes and focused to sleep. Well not focus, but waited to sleep.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">And as much as he is tired, he wasn’t feeling it.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou opened his eyes after ten minutes of trying. He couldn’t sleep because he just felt... uncomfortable? Uncomfortable sharing a bed. This was his first time sharing a bed with someone, and it was making him feel awkward being in such a close space with someone else.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">But that someone else was Satoshi, and he could hear the light snore coming on from him. Well, not light, but disruptive enough to keep him awake.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou sighed as he just started thinking to himself. He thought about the plans of tomorrow: go out of the city and find a Galarian Meowth and it’s evolved form. Record the data. Go home. It wasn’t hard to begin with but-</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou’s thoughts were cut off as he can feel Satoshi move behind him. He froze in fear as he can feel his right arm draping over him again, Satoshi’s right foot becoming entangled with Gou’s exposed left foot, and finally, Satoshi’s body somewhat pressing against his back. Gou blushed in horror as he realized, he was the little spoon.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“S-Satoshi!” He whispered.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The boy ignored him and snored.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Satoshi!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The boy ignored him again.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Satoshi!!!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi snuggled even closer, this time pressing his chest against Gou’s back. His head ended up against the back of Gou’s neck.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou closed his eyes and cried to himself that this will become the end of him, and that this will break apart their relationship. Days of trying to not show PDA and the amount of effort they put in- all gone in an instant. Gou took a deep breathe and- holy heck why did he feel so... relaxed?</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The boy with black hair could feel his sense of ease dropping as Satoshi continued to breathe warmth on the back of his neck. Gou was slowly become more tired and more comfortable as Satoshi continued to spread his slow heart beat and warmth with his jet-packing. Gou was surprised- he didn’t expect this to work at all, and now he’s seconds away from dropping out of reality and achieving dream world. The boy smiled before falling fast asleep.</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3">Raboot was not happy to be the one to turn the alarm off.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The rabbit Pokémon snarled angrily as Rotom rung it’s loud alarm in the room. Raboot thought Gou would hear it, him being the one closest, and turn it off. But nope- Gou was still somehow asleep and not responding.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Raboot grabbed the Rotom phone and told the Pokémon to shut up. The Rotom stuck its tongue out, but Raboot snarled at the Pokémon and pointed towards its feet. Rotom stopped blaring its alarm and became silent.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Pikachu was slowly coming into being awake as Satoshi and Gou were still sleeping. Raboot jumped onto their bed and observed the somehow weird position they had gotten into. Satoshi’s head was nowhere near the pillows. The raven haired boy was as spread out as avocado on toast- his limbs everywhere with bent arms and legs sticking up like lumps. In fact, his shirt was slowly pulled up so that you can see his stomach and his pants were rung up too, exposing half his calf.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">But the surprising thing was that Gou was with him. Gou’s head was neatly nested over Satoshi’s chest, but his body was still covered with the blanket. Only his left arm was exposed, and it was touching Satoshi’s left hand.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Raboot quickly aimed Rotom at the two boys, and the Pokémon immediately knew to take a picture. The Pokémon saved it under the private encrypted folder with all of their relationship stuff in it.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Pikachu jumped over to Satoshi’s head and started to nuzzle itself against his exposed neck. Tickling him awake, Satoshi was slowly out of sleep.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“... Goooood Morning Pikachu....” Satoshi lifted his right arm (he guessed which arm was closer to Pikachu, and he got it right somehow) and gave the electric mouse a little scratch behind the ears. The Pikachu squealed in excitement as it enjoyed the ear scratching.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Raboot...” the rabbit Pokémon tapped the boy’s side with his foot. “Raboot...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi looked to his left and found no one there. Strange. He looked down, and saw the black and red hairs of Gou’s head and Raboot. The boy smiled as he stopped scratching Pikachu- who poured at the sudden ending of its scratches- and lifted it over himself so that he can awake Gou. Gou sounded so peaceful as he continued to sleep on Satoshi’s chest. He can feel Gou’s weight against his heartbeat, and he can feel Gou’s hand entangled with his.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">He could get used to waking up like this.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gou...” he can see a somewhat exposed skin on the top of Gou’s head, and sent his fingers there to start scratching. He can hear a slight mix of a purr and a “hmm” coming from Gou, and continued scratching his skull.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hmmm....” Gou’s eyes slowly opened and the first thing he sees is his left hand sitting over Satoshi’s. His mind was trying to process what was going on, but Gi was being so delayed by the fact that there was an insanely pleasurable sensation coming from his head.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">And speaking of his head, what was he sleeping on? Gou focused on the fabric of the pillow he was on, and saw an exposed patch of skin- skin? Wait... if that’s a hand, and there’s skin... wait is that a cro-</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Raboot laughed as he saw Gou’s eyes and pupils expanding massively at the realization that he was sleeping on Satoshi. The rabbit Pokémon fell on its bottom laughing it’s own butt off as Gou quickly shot up and rubbed his head with the realization.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Ehhh!” Gou shot up and held his head with his hands as he realized what was going on. He was sleeping with Satoshi and the next thing he knew, he was sleeping on Satoshi’s chest and he was feeling his heartbeat and he was being massaged by him an- Wait a minute-</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Ahhh!” Gou fell to the floor and landed face first into the shaggy carpet.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Are you okay Gou?” Satoshi moved over to the edge and peered down at his boyfriend.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m sorry!” Gou immediately got into a bowing position. “I’m sorry before doing lewd things to you!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“What lewd things?” Satoshi asked, unsure what was going on.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I slept on your chest and you were scratching me like I was Pikachu and-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Wait Wait Wait,” Satoshi stooped the boy. “I liked doing that stuff with you, you know.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You... do?” Gou looked up to the boy on the bed and saw Satoshi smiling as he hoisted himself to Gou’s eye level.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Of course I do!” Satoshi smiled once again. “That was the best sleep I ever had in ages!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou smiled in embarrassment. “M-me too... actually.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And also,” Satoshi pushed forward and landed a kiss on Gou’s lips. “Good morning beautiful.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou’s blushed turned him a faint red as he realized that he had just woke up in such a horrid state.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m not beautiful,” Gou said as he stood up to check on the Rotom phone. He saw that the phone was gone from the bed stand and turned the other way. Raboot had it. “And good morning to you too.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gou,” Satoshi sat up and draped his legs over the side. “You’re always beautiful. You know that?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I doubt that,” Gou grabbed the Rotom phone and saw the alerts from the alarms earlier. About twelve minutes had passed so far.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Listen Gou,” Satoshi pulled his head so that he was now facing him. Gou turned his body to give his full attention. “I think you’re beautiful because your mind is beautiful,” he gave a kiss at Gou’s forehead, “I think your heart is beautiful,” he gave a kiss on the cheek whilst resting his palm above Gou’s shirt where his heart is, “and I think everything you aspire to be and to do is beautiful too,” he gave one more kiss on Gou’s lips.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Since when did you because so poetic?” Gou asked as he enticed Satoshi into another kiss.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“As soon as I found out we can do this,” Satoshi said as he obliged.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Both Raboot and Pikachu were throwing up in disgust as they watched their trainers commit sucky mouth to each other. The fact that they were going to do this in private wasn’t the thing that disturbed them. It was the fact that they haven’t brushed their teeth yet.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Raboot stepped on the Rotom phone and gave it a nod. Rotom immediately released an alarm, which surprised them both and had them both fall off the bed.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Okay okay we’ll stop!” Gou immediately tired to stand up as he told the Rotom to stop. “Geez.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi laughed as he remained on the floor as Gou tried to shut up his Rotom. Pikachu jumped from the top of the bed into Satoshi’s arm, surprising the boy from Pallet Town.</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two spent the whole day observing Galarian Meowth on Route 4 and Perrserkers on Route 7. They were able to collect some valuable data, such as it’s the hairs and fur coming out of the two cats that made them steel type- the little fibers were just as hard as steel. They also took a look at the dark coin hanging on top of Meowth’s head; and noticed its dark, ambient color. Within a crowd of Meowth, they found that the ones with darker coins were often the more respected ones, and for Perrserkers, they would all just attack each other just for fun.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m exhausted,” Gou fell back on the bed in the hotel room. The two had gotten back to their hotel room in Hammerlocks, Route 7 just being close by from there. “I can’t move my legs.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That was so much fun!” Satoshi took his backpack off and jumped in excitement across the hotel room. Pikachu followed his lead, while Raboot simply joined his tired trainer and sat on the bed next to him.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You two have way too much energy,” Gou slowly sat back up, knowing that he would have to go shower so there was no point in laying down (other wise, he would have fell asleep).</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You just don’t have enough energy,” Satoshi poked his boyfriend’s cheek. “Geezer.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Oof,” Gou half acted, pretending to fall over but really he stood up. “I, Gou, the younger one here, feels old.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi realized that Gou was calling him old because he called him old. “Hey!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I need a shower,” Gou said as he went to his backpack and grabbed his set of pajamas. “I just want to take a nap.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“But we haven’t had dinner yet,” Satoshi told the boy. Both the Pokemon nodded too, their stomachs immediately coming in with the stomach growl.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Fineeeee,” Gou slowly blinked and walked over to the restroom with his clothes. “Let me shower first.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Are you sure you’re okay to shower Mr.Sleepy Head?” Satoshi asked as Gou bumped into the wall next to the bathroom.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I think the cold water will wake me up.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Are you sure you don’t want me in there with you?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou’s eyes opened wide at the realization of what Satoshi was asking. Even their Pokemon were surprised too; Pikachu and Raboot’s eyes were just was open as Gou’s mouth.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Satoshi!” Gou yelled, waking him up completely. “We are only ten!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m not ten,” Satoshi told the boy. “I’m more than a ten.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“We are children of Arceus!” Gou exaggerated as he walked into the bathroom without crashing into anything. “We cannot engage in such lewd behavior!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Who said anything lewd was going to happen?” Satoshi asked as he followed him in there.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“GET OUT OF HERE!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Okay okay sheesh-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Stop taking your shirt off you pervert!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey you were the one pulling it off this morning!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“GET. OUT. NOW.”</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3"><br/>Instead of going to a restaurant in Hammerlocks, they decided to ride a flying taxi all the way to Circhester, home of the infamous restaurant, Bob’s Your Uncle.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two boys wanted to spend their last night at Galar at a somewhat fancier place than the curry place they had yesterday. They looked up random restaurants on their phones, and then they decided to go try a restaurant at a different city: Bob’s Your Uncle. And Bob’s your uncle.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Who’s Bob?” Satoshi asked as he hugged his boyfriend due to the coldness of the city. “And how is he my uncle?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“It’s just a phrase Satoshi,” Gou told him. “The city is around the corner here.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two boys walked the corner, and spotted the restaurant straight down.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And Bob’s Your Uncle,” Gou said to Satoshi, earning him a sign of confusion.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Who’s Bob and why is he my uncle?!?!” Satoshi angrily asked.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“No,” Gou clarified. “Bob’s your uncle!” He pointed to the restaurant. “It’s right there!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Bob isn’t my uncle!” Satoshi cried out loud. “I don’t even have an uncle!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“No!” Gou shouted back. “The phrase, Bob’s Your Uncle, is a phrase that means, ‘and there it is.’ And the restaurant, Bob’s Your Uncle, is right there! Therefore, Bob’s Your Uncle!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“No he’s not!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m too cream-crackered to deal with this.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Crackers with cream?!?! Is that a menu item?”</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You are hopeless,” Gou and Raboot stared at the two others siting across the table.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi and Pikachu sat at their velvet seats with their backs leaned against the chair. They had just stuffed themselves with loads of pizza, and they both finished off their own whole pizza. Gou and Raboot decided to split half.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That was so good…” Satoshi turned his head to his Pikachu, who was also laying on his back with his stomach popping out. The Pokemon tried to give a thumbs up, but Pikachu’s arms were too tired to go up enough. “Pi….ka….”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou rolled his eyes as he stood up from the table. “I’ll go get the bill.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“No need,” Satoshi heldhis hand in refusal. “I already paid for the bill.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Wait what!” Gou said in shock. “You didn’t even leave the table.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi adjusted his seat so that he was sitting straight. He then put his chin resting on his hand, sporting a thinking type of pose.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I paid for the table when you left to the restroom earlier,” Satoshi explained, a sense of serious coming out of him.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The atmosphere shifted from that of fun to silence and monotonic expression. “When you got up to use the restroom to wash your hands,” Satoshi reiterated further, “I called the waiter over so that he can receive my cash that I handed them.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi was expecting Gou to slump down his chair in defeat. For the past few times they went out, Satoshi and Gou had a small competition of who would pay for the bill. Being who they are, they would fight on the bill and would refuse to be paid for. But instead of slumping, Gou stood straighter. He stuck his hands up in the air for victory, laughing loudly at his boyfriend.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You fool!” Gou looked at Satoshi with intense eyes, his blue eyes now cutting the ocean instead of sporting it. “You fell for my trap!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“NANI!” Satoshi screamed in surprise.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou smirked as he retold his story, “You thought I walked up to go use the restroom to wash my hand. But really, it was me! Gou! That took your cash!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“NANI!!!!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I dressed up as the waiter so that I can take your cash,” Gou’s mind flashed back as he got a chef’s hat and apron and walked over to Satoshi to take the cash. “Here’s your cash. I already handed the other waiters my card!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hehehe.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“What are you laughing about?” Gou interrogated. “What’s so funny?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m laughing…” Satoshi stood up and slammed his hands on the table. “Because I already paid for the table way before that!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“NANI!!!!!!!” Gou screamed back.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi lifted up his room phone and presented the restaurant’s Poke-Yelp page. “You forgot that I was the one that called the restaurant to get us a table!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“OH MY GOD!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“So naturally,” Satoshi held up his card. “I told them to hold the bill only for my name.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“So that was your plan,” Gou sat down and crossed his arms. “You really got me with that one. I didn’t think of that one.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“See,” Satoshi saw the waiter walk over with their check, and accepted the check book. “I told you I won.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“So what does it say on there?” Gou leaned forward, interested to see the bill.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“It says our order comes out to this much,” Satoshi counted out the price for both of their items, and their drinks. “That’s not bad. And here’s my- Wait. This is-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That’s my card,” Gou took the check book from his hands. “Thank you very much.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“NO WAY!!!!” Satoshi was blown back by the surprise that Gou paid for dinner! Even Pikachu was blown back, despite the fact that he didn’t do anything.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You dummy,” Gou signed the receipt and handed the book to the waiter. He thanked them and turned to Satoshi.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“How…” Satoshi cried as he rested his head with failure on the wooden table. “I did everything. I called the restaurant prior and gave them my name. I snuck the card to the waiter. I even handed cash. How.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You may have realized that I would try to pay for the bill myself,” Gou told the boy in front of him. “I guess you can say, I got a little help from… a rabbit’s foot.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi stood straight up and pointed at the other Pokemon. “Raboot!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The fire rabbit blinked at the opposing trainer and stuck his tongue out.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Raboot did his cute bunny eyes and convinced the waiters to take my card,” Gou stuck his card away into his wallet. “Good job by the way.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Raboot smiled at his trainer and cheered at Satoshi’s suffering.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two trainers left the restaurant and thanked the waiting staff. The staff members all took a picture of Rabbit before they left, however, saying that it was the first time they ever saw a Pokemon pay for a bill before. Gou and Raboot accepted, and allowed them to do so.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The night ended with them back in Hammerlocks, with both Gou and Satoshi sleeping side by side. This was their last night of being able to safely sleep in the same bed; it was risky if they did that kind of stuff at the laboratory after all. They couldn’t risk it and be found out. Their goal was to see how long they can go for; and reek in the benefits once they become older.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">But little did they know, Sakuragi had received phone calls from a certain parent, and was now creating adjustments to the dorm room.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And before you begin, let me talk about the stories in order:</p><p>The Gallades were there because they were I have a theory that Gallade was supposed to be as popular as Lucario because it was the "cool pokemon that we never seen before" in The Rise of Darkrai. But because Gallade got held back into Platinum, its success didn't match with Lucario. If you notice, they both look very similar and they both move very similarly in the anime/movies. I doubt Satoshi would ever catch one, but I bet they'll talk about the Gardevoir/Gallade line because they appear in Galar.</p><p>The curries that they had were the spicy mushroom medley and the sweet apple ones. No they didn't get meat because that would be messed up for Raboot. Also, Raboot loves apples.</p><p>Yes, Bob's Your Uncle is literally a phrase meaning "There it is," or "And there you have it". Sword and Shield do a really good job with making Galar seem like the UK, and I give them a good 10/10 for their research. Like they did a good job searching for slang and stuff; they even got cream-crackered right! And btw that means you're tired.</p><p>The bill scene was me attempting to write Pokemon with Jojo's because we saw some Jojo's references in Sun and Moon and I miss it.</p><p>The next chapter will be the final one, but it talks about them going to Alola, because they have to finish the Meowth research. I written half of it already but yeah, I'm a chaotic evil when it comes to writing, and I love it.</p><p>Okay that's it. If you want to talk to me for some reason (privately or through the public) comment or go to my tumblr at Negira1239. I have a pokemon blog that I just like stuff on, but feel free to talk to me. I'm interested in a collaboration of some sort tbh.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Alola! Part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After the success of collecting research in Galar, the boys head over to Alola- Satoshi's first time going back since he's left. </p><p>Burnet and Kukui are happy to see their boy back... but what about Gou?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So this is being split into 2 parts because this chapter is already 10k words and ahhhhhhhh. </p><p>Thanks to everyone for the lovely comments! Leave more if you want this sooner- I was going to post this next week but I got a lot of attention on this piece and I was like, fuck it I'll upload it earlier. </p><p>Thank you! </p><p>-Negira1239</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">“So… We’re getting separate bedrooms?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi and Gou met up with the professor in the lab that morning. The night before, they arrived back from the Galar region and slept in due to jet lag. They woke up refreshed in the morning to report their progress.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I got calls from both of your parents that I should be supplying you two with individual dorm rooms,” Sakuragi explained as he glossed over the research of Galarian Meowth and Perrserker. “They both think it’s time that you two need some privacy. You two are growing older and are approaching those crucial developmental phases in human life.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So we’re...” Gou gulped. “Being separated because of puberty?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You two sound so unsure of yourselves,” Sakuragi commented as he walked down the steps to be at the same level as them. “I thought you two would enjoy having your own space.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“It’s just that,” Gou reasoned. “We both got used to each other’s antics.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I got used to sleeping on the bottom bunk,” Satoshi explained. “And I got used to sharing a room with Gou.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“If you get your own room Satoshi you get your own top bunk though,” Sakuragi explained. “Didn’t you two fight for the top bunk?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">And that was the end of it. Satoshi’s items were moved to the room next door the next day. The dorm room layout was exactly identical except mirrored. The bottom bunks were replaced by a wardrobe, giving them more ability to keep clothes in it. </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So I guess this is it,” Gou said as he entered the new dorm room. Satoshi stood at the other end of it whilst Pikachu and Raboot looked out the window. From his point of view, Gou couldn’t see the saddened expression on Satoshi’s face. “I’m going to miss sharing a room with you.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’m going to miss seeing you wake up every morning,” Satoshi muttered, trying to take hold of the tears that were about to come out. “I’m going to miss having night conversations with you too.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Cheer up Satoshi,” Gou stood next to him and bumped his elbow. “This is only a small set back. You don’t know for sure what’s going to happen.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You’re just happy that you get to have your own room again,” Satoshi softly muttered.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’m happy that people won’t find us out faster,” Gou turned to his right and kissed Satoshi’s cheek. “Remember the goal.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I hate that you’re right,” Satoshi sighed. “So now that I’m here... what do we do now?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou walked forward and turned so that his back was leaning against the desk. “Professor Sakuragi said that now we need to head over to Alola for more research.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">At the mere mention of Alola, his eyes brightened with color.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Go to him,” Gou laughed. “He said he wanted to talk to you.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi sprinted down the stairs, not even waiting for his partner to follow. Pikachu noticed and quickly dashed for his trainer, leaving Raboot and Gou in the new room by themselves.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I think we should get down there too...” Gou told his Pokémon. “But not without a house warming gift.”</p><p class="p2"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <strong>Six Months Later.</strong>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Alola was very... humid... to say the least.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou extended his collar and took a few deep breaths to cool himself down as he exited the airplane. He carefully walked the steps down, taking his time with each step like if it was covered with oil. Alola was so bright as well; he would have to buy a hat or some sunglasses or something.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Alola!” The airport security guard greeted the people coming off of the plane.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Everyone else smiled and chuckled, realizing that this was their custom of saying hello. The only person who responded Alola back was Satoshi, who was walking in front of him.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi had been somewhat gassed since Professor Sakuragi had an interest in the three different Meowth forms. It seemed weird to the professor that both Meowths were Dark and Steel- two types that Kanto had neither of. Team Rocket’s Meowth had also sparked his interest, and that was probably what lead him to green lighting their Alola trip. After seeing the success of research in Galar, the professor wanted them to research Alola. But due to financial costs and due to other stuff going on, almost six months had passed before they were able to go. Satoshi was immediately granted a green flower lei, and he thanked the attendant who handed him one.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou was a bit hesitant to receive such a wasteful gift from a stranger, but he saw how happy Satoshi is standing in front of him. The boy smiled as a red flower lei was bestowed upon him.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The two boys checked out of the airport and had gotten into a taxi. Satoshi had given the driver an address, which surprised Gou because usually, he was the one planning everything. The start of this trip to now, Satoshi and Professor Sakuragi had secured everything. The professor bought the plane tickets and Satoshi had gotten everything else- Gou has no idea what he was getting into, because this was the first time he had ever seen Satoshi so excited to go somewhere. It baffled him to the point of Gou offering to buy supplies, and even then the raven haired boy refused.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Hau’oli City seemed to be a beach city that had top line restaurant, clean beaches, and lots of local shops and venturers. Gou turned his head towards the vast blue ocean in front of them. He was amazed that this place somehow maintains to be so beautiful. Maybe that’s why Satoshi liked this place so much.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">And speaking of Satoshi, the boy turned to the other and saw that Satoshi was shaking his feet. In anticipation to the next destination, he and Pikachu were at the edge of their seats. The two seemed like they were ready to sprint out of the car at any second, but they were patient enough to wait for the destination.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">This surprised Gou again; he’s never seen Satoshi so patiently waiting for something. It seemed... unusually cute? He and Pikachu acted similarly to Koharu’a Yamper whenever the dog was waiting for a treat. The thought of Satoshi’s face on Yamper, patiently waiting for a treat, made Gou chuckle to himself.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi ignored the boy’s laughter and told the driver to pull over. The driver obliged, and Satoshi muttered something before dashing out of the car with Pikachu.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Satoshi wait!” Gou faller, but Satoshi stooped him and closed the door. The two yelled something again at the driver and quickly dashed off.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“He seems like a nice young man,” the driver told Gou, giving him a soft apologetic smile. “I think I recall him from somewhere.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“He’s been here before,” Gou explained to the driver. “I don’t even know where we’re going.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So where are you from?” The driver asked. “You two just came out of the airport and spotted me down.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We’re from Vermillion City in Kanto,” Gou told the driver. He explained their intentions of studying the local Meowth here in Alola and the ones in Galar. They were going to start researching on the different type variances and the different evolution lines.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“That sounds fun,” the driver smiled, turning around to reveal her face to Gou. “And just in luck too! There are tons of wild Meowth and Persians around here in Hau’oli city.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Thank you,” Gou said as he took out his poke ball. “You don’t mind if I bring out my Pokémon? Do you?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh go ahead,” the driver offered. “Bring em’ outside too! I can’t imagine you ought to be sitting down after such a long flight!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou thanked the driver and exited the car. He brought out his Raboot, who immediately frowned upon exiting out the poke ball.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I feel the same way too,” he said, standing next to Raboot by the road side. The two were standing towards the ocean, the car facing East and the shop that Satoshi went into on the other side of the street. The ocean and beaches were stunning, and the bright blue skies matching the reflective glow of the ocean were stunning enough. But Gou and Raboot were irked by one thing- the humidity.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou brought out his hydro flask and offered it to the rabbit. He also brought out his Rotom dex, taking a few pictures of the beautiful scenery around him. Raboot drank some of the cool water before giving the flask back to Gou.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Do you think it’s crazy that Satoshi planned all of this,” Gou asked the Pokémon. “And I still don’t know what’s going on?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Raboot squeaked a few chuckles, before responding to his question. Gou was still getting the hang of understanding Pokémon, but he generally had an idea of what the rabbit was saying.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Do you think I can ask him out here?” Gou asked, feeling a warm breeze hit his forearms and face. He wondered if Alola was a good place for them to go out in public and act like a couple-ish. Ever since Bob’s Your Uncle<em> (which was six months ago oh my)</em>, he longed for moments where they can show their true selves in public. But he knows that doing so might risk their safety, and the events that would transpired afterwards were unknown.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">But Gou has no bad intentions in the first place- he really liked Satoshi, and he just wanted him to be happy. He doubts that Satoshi will reject the idea of them going out as a couple, but at the same time, Satoshi knows the area better than he does. Maybe he is doubting himself.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Before Raboot can answer, they can hear a screech coming from behind them. They both turned around and saw Satoshi and Pikachu carrying a giant cardboard box. The top was opened and it was filled with numerous items inside.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The driver laughed whole heartedly as she offered Gou the front seat. Gou sat in the front with Raboot on his lap before Satoshi shoved the box on Gou’s previous seat. He and Pikachu sat down and put their seatbelts on before the driver drove off to their destination.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What did you do Satoshi?” an irritated Gou asked the boy in the back seat. “We’re here to do research not buy out entire stores.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi laughed as he patted the box next to him. “I got some gifts for the house we’re staying at,” he smiled. “I’m so happy that they offered to wrap the whole thing.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wait so you went out and bought gifts?” Gou asked the boy. “And the store people wrapped it for you?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“They offered because I told them it was a gift for someone,” Satoshi said before laughing. “I didn’t realize champions would get this much popularity.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Before Gou could ask, the driver cut him off. “No wonder why I could recognize you! You’re the Alola Champion!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou’s “Nani” was so loud, the Pikipeks in the nearby trees were startled off instantly,</p><p class="p2"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Thank you so much,” the two boys bowed to the taxi driver before taking off. Before she left, Satoshi gave her a small basket of apples that he bought earlier in the market place. The driver was flustered to receive such a gift from a kid- the Alolan Champion, to be precise, but Satoshi refused and offered it to compensate their waiting.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou was how more confused about Satoshi and Alola because why the hell has he never mentioned his champion status? Why didn’t he say that anywhere? Why not during the World Championships sign ups? Why not during the lab interview?</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Before Gou could ask, Satoshi hushed him as he picked up his box.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’ll answer questions later,” Satoshi whispered. “For now, please.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He didn’t need to explain further, and Gou kept his mouth shut.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">There was a somewhat large house along the beach side. The time was now two hours before sunset, and the clouds in the sky were now coming in. There were no fences, no land markings, nothing to represent a border.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou and his Raboot carefully walked over the sand following Satoshi. The boy and his Pikachu didn’t seem to care about sand in their shoes, something that horribly irritated Gou and Raboot. Eventually, Gou picked up Raboot and offered to carry the rabbit; the fire type was not having it with the humidity and sand.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">They walked around the house and silently stepped on the front porch. Satoshi set the box down along the porch and looked over at his Pikachu. They both nodded and knocked on the door.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou felt awkward standing at the porch beside Satoshi. Holding Raboot in his hands, Gou watched as the wooden door opened, blowing cool air at them. Behind the door was a woman with white hair tied back with a bandanna. She was tanned as well, wearing shorts and having a tank top. She seemed young for her age, but Gou could tell she could be way older than she seems.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The woman was in shock as she saw who was at the door. She dropped whatever was in her hands- Gou recognized that it was a book about Pokémon Anatomy- and jumped towards the raven haired boy.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Satoshi!” She harshly whispered, her voice trying to be loud but courteous at the same time. “Pikachu!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Who is it honey?” A man’s voice was coming from behind the door.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hey Professor Kukui!” Satoshi called, his voice trying to replicate the woman’s.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“No way-“ there was some rustling and stampeding before a man wearing a lab coat and shorts- no shirt too what a baller- appeared behind the surprised woman. He spotted Satoshi and his wife and immediately hugged the both of them.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Alola!” They both decided to yell, ignoring their silence from earlier.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Alola!” Satoshi and his Pikachu replies before hugging them back.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou felt awkward once again, but all he could do at the moment was smile. It was rare to see Satoshi cry, and when he did, it justified whatever the cause was. And in this case, he was happy. Gou could tell that Satoshi had some sort of powerful connection with the folks here. Since Satoshi was a champion, was this place his training grounds? His home?</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Why didn’t you call?” The woman barked at the boy. “You made us worried sick when we saw you and Gigantamaxed Pikachu on the television!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We cried out Hydro Pumps when we saw you against that Drednaw!” Professor Kukui cried.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The boy and Pikachu laughed as Kukui brought on the time he saw Satoshi on the article he read about the Beautifly in Hoenn. As they bring up more and more things, Satoshi’s smile turned deeper and deeper.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou’s face flushed red as he saw Satoshi look at him with his tear filled eyes. The two adults turned towards Gou, not realizing that they had brought other guests along.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh I’m so sorry sweetie!” The woman let go of Satoshi and hugged Gou and Raboot. “Didn’t notice you there! I’m Professor Burnet, but you can call me Burnet!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“And I’m Professor Kukui,” He said, introducing himself, “But call me Kukui!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Alola,” he said for the first time coming to the island. Gou smiled. “I’m Gou, and this is Raboot. I’m a research assistant for Professor Sakuragi.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So you’re the researcher that went out and found those Beautifly!” Kukui shook his hand vigorously as Raboot dropped to the floor. “Nice work kid! You took an amazing shot!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Thank you so much,” Gou chuckled. “Satoshi,” he nodded towards the box.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi stares in confusion at the boy. He slowly turns his head around 180, and realized that he had a box of random gifts next to him.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“That’s right!” Satoshi alluded to the box. “I bought some stuff for everyone!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Everyone?” Gou asked.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Everyone!” Satoshi cheered.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi and Gou finally entered the house, and needless to say, he was so relieved to feel air conditioning again. He and Raboot sighed in happiness as they can feel the cool air calming their sweating skin and fur. He was so absorbed about taking his shoes off that he didn’t noticed that Satoshi was tackled by several Pokémon.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Lycanrock!” Satoshi was on the floor getting ambushed tongue licks by that Pokémon. “I missed you too buddy!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou pointed his Pokédex at the Lycanrock. <em>“Lycanrock. The Wolf Pokemon! Rock type! Bathed in the setting sun of evening, Lycanroc has undergone a special kind of evolution. An intense fighting spirit underlies its calmness.”</em></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Incineroar!” Satoshi was now picked up into a fiery hug by the giant cat pokenon. Of course, Gou used his Pokédex on it. <em>“Incineroar. The Heel Pokemon. Fire and Dark Type. Although it’s rough mannered and egotistical, it finds beating down unworthy opponents being. It gets motivated for stronger opponents.” </em></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Next, was Rowlett, who simply sat on Satoshi’s hat and hooted his introduction. Gou also ran his Pokedex on it.<em> “Rowlett. The Grass Quill Pokemon. Grass and Flying type! It sends its feathers, which are as sharp as blades, flying into attack. Its legs are strong, so its kicks are also formidable.”</em></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Melmetal is in my lab downstairs with Snorlax,” Kukui told the boys. “That’s the only room that he properly fits in.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Where’s Professor Burnet?” Gou asked. He and Raboot were standing beside the living room, being courteous and allowing Satoshi to be bombarded by his Pokémon.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“She’s downstairs,” Professor Kukui cracked a smile. “Grabbing an important guest.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Professor Burnet was smiling as she walked up the steps holding in her arms a blanket covered baby. The baby itself was a boy, dark skinned like Kukui but had white hair and both of their features.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou realized that they visited two married professors, and that they had a kid.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Satoshi,” Burnet said to the boy, “meet Satoshi.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Scratch that. They realized that they visited two married professors that named their kid after the Alolan Champion.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi’s Pokémon dropped the boy and Pikachu out of their grips and allowed the two to walk over to Burnet. Gou can see Satoshi’s facial expression change into sadness, and then into giddiness once again.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I can’t... believe... you named a child after me,” Satoshi said as he inspected the baby closer with Pikachu on his shoulder. “You’re lying.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We’re not,” Kukui walked over and left his arm around his wife. “We named him Satoshi because he has your spirit.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“And we would have never been so close if it wasn’t for you Satoshi,” Burnet admitted. “We can’t ever thank you enough for that.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi was about to burst into tears again, but Lycanrock started using his hair and poked at the cardboard box. This snapped Satoshi to run towards the gift cardboard box.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I knew you two had a baby, but I didn’t know you would name him after me,” Satoshi said as he brought out a large wrapped box. “Hopefully this fits him.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kukui took Satoshi (the baby) in his arms as Burnet unwrapped the gift to reveal a large box of diapers, 12 months to 18 months.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“He’s turned 13 months old!” Burnet cheered. “Oh and you got the good brand too!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Here you go!” Satoshi gave a box to each Pokémon, and left Melmetal’s gift off to the side. They all got a variety of apples, berries, and other small food items. Gou and his Raboot watched as Satoshi grabbed two small bags and handed it to both professors. “And these are for you!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou lightly chuckled when he saw both professors refused the gift, stating that children shouldn’t be getting adults gifts like that. But Satoshi insisted, and he was bestowed Satoshi to hold whilst the two professors opened their gifts.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“No way-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Satoshi you can’t do this-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Both Burnet and Kukui pulled out two pearl strings, each with matching pearls and matching string lengths.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Those are bracelets,” Satoshi laughed as they looked at each other, holding incredibly expensive jewelry in their hands. Gou did a quick Rotom search and found that one pearl string could sell for 12,000 poke, which not only hurt his heart but his wallet as well. He look a seat on a random chair as Raboot wondered towards the other Pokémon.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The first Pokémon Raboot went to was Incineroar. It’s fiery and hot presence was the one to draw the rabbit’s attention. Incineroar was tall and bulky, standing with its muscles flexing with pride. The giant cat noticed the rabbit and flashed its grin at the rabbit.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Raboot stepped back from the sudden intimidation, and noticed that Lycanrock was now sniffing him. Raboot stood still as Lycanrock walked around him, sniffing all dimensions of the rabbit. Lycanrock gave a small bark before retreating back to Incineror’s side.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Rowlet was the last one to greet Raboot. The bird landed on the floor and gave a simple wing wave before falling asleep. The rabbit Pokémon took a step closer, examining the bird to see whether or not it was sleeping. As Raboot leaned closer, the bird randomly woke up and chirped loudly at him, scaring the poor rabbit and making him jump back.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Incineroar and Lycanrock both laughed at the Pokémon’s jump scare before walking towards the rabbit. Raboot, being in the ground, watched as the Pokémon surrounded him and helped him back up.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou became more absorbed watching his Pokémon interact with other Pokémon rather than Kukui and Burnet trying to reason to Satoshi to return the jewelry. Satoshi told him that he had to repay them somehow and Burnet told him that jewelry was not the right answer. As they babbled back and forth with each other, Gou heard a loud knock on the door.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The knock was three, consecutive stern knocks. They sounded like they were angry.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’ll get it,” Kukui said, standing up and walking past the group. Gou decided to walk over to his Pokémon and sat on the living room floor, now watching over baby Satoshi and the Pokémon.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Now that he was closer to the baby, he can really see the distinct features more clearly. He could see that he had Burnet’s hair and eyes. His smile clearly radiated some sort of happiness, and his nose was puckered just like his father’s. Gou noticed that Incineroar bent down next to him and offered the baby to grab his finger- with claws retracted. The baby cheered as he used his tiny fingers on his hand to grab the Pokémon’s giant furry one.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Incineroar looked at Gou and nodded at the trainer. Was he telling him to try it too? Gou nodded back and started talking to the baby.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hello...” he said nervously towards the baby. “I’m Gou... it’s nice to meet you.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou offered his right pointer finger and placed it beside the sitting baby’s left hand. The baby saw the floating finger and immediately grabbed it with no hesitation. He shook the finger up and down, cheering and squealing with delight. Gou didn’t want to move from this position anymore, despite his legs burning from the squat he was pulling off.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“The one time the Alolan Champion comes back to Alola and the first thing you do is go to the mall?!?!” A girl with long, green hair walked into the house. Following her was a rather tall Pokémon, and then another girl with blue hair. There were two boys that followed afterwards, also making their greeting to the professor. “Who are you and what did you do to Satoshi?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hey Mao,” Satoshi greeted. “Hey Suiren! Hey Kiawai! Hey Mamane.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“The rumors were right!” Suiren pointed to the champion. “You are back!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi ran up to hug all of them, ignoring the angry Burnet who held two pearl strings with her hands. As Satoshi started apologizing and offering gifts to his friends from the box, Burnet saw Gou and Incineroar playing with baby Satoshi, and faced her husband, nodding at the interaction with their baby. Kukui looked over and saw Gou laughing and playing with his baby, and he just swooned immediately.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“How’s baby Satoshi?” Burnet asked as she sat beside him. She thanked Incineroar and sat closer to Gou. “He’s not hurting you right?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I never seen a baby before,” Gou admitted. “I thought I would be bad with kids but...” he booped the kids nose and made his fingers dance in the air. “... I can’t stop smiling.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“How cute!” Burnet noted. She looked over and saw that Raboot had now taken interest in the kid too. “Do you want to see baby Satoshi?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Raboot realized that the professor was talking to him and jumped in surprise. The professor nodded and the rabbit ran around Gou and now stood between him and Burnet. The rabbit Pokémon tiptoed to peek at the baby, leaning forward so that he can see the baby sitting in its basket.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The baby now looked at Raboot, and extended his arms so that he can grab the rabbit. Gou readjusted his position as Raboot tried to extend his arms, but he just wasn’t far enough. The baby then decided to go for the next best thing- his ears. Raboot wanted to flail as his ears were being violated by a baby, but he couldn’t because he really needed to keep his composure and-</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou and Burnet laughed as Raboot started to flail around. The baby pulled his left ear too much and it sparked a great pain. Burnet grabbed the baby’s attention by offering the baby Rowlet. The bird nested itself beside the baby’s basket and the baby and fell asleep as the baby started to follow suit. Raboot gave a quiet sob as it held its poor ear with its paws. Incineroar gave the rabbit a pat on the back.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Satoshi was napping before you two came,” Burnet admitted as she picked up the whole basket. “It’s time for her nap.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou wanted to say good bye to the baby, but realized how stupid that would have sounded. Instead, he offered his condolences to Raboot, who was now holding his left ear above his face with worry.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh that’s right!” Satoshi realized. “Gou!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou and his Raboot turned around and saw 8 new faces looking at them. Four human faces and four Pokémon.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“That’s my friend Gou!” Satoshi introduce. “He’s another research assistant at Sakuragi’s lab! And that’s Raboot! His partner!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hello!” The green haired girl waved. “My name is Mao! This is my partner Pokémon, Tsuarrne!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The Pokémon made a nose as she sat next to her trainer.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’m Suiren,” the other girl introduced herself. “And this is Primarina.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Prima!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“My names Mamane and this is Togedemaru!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Toge Toge!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’m Kaki,” the last guy introduced himself. “And this is Marowak!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Maro!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wait Marowak?” Gou aimed his Pokédex at the Alolan Marowak. “The ones we have in Kanto are ground type and look different!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We have Pokémon from Kanto too,” he explained. “But some of them have different typings due to the environment.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“That’s interesting,” Gou realized he just made an observation in the middle of an introduction. “Oh sorry- I’m Gou... and this is Raboot. It’s nice to meet you all.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Alola!” They all shouted.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Alola...”</p><p class="p1"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">Melmetal and Snorlax- Snorlax was Burnet’s Pokemon- were two Pokémon he was not expecting to see inside a laboratory.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em>"Melmetal. The Hex Nut Pokemon. Steel type! Revered long ago for its capacity to create iron from nothing, for some reason it has come back to life after 3,000 years." </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The two giant Pokémon were in the corner, sleeping and relaxing against the cool fans when everyone came over. Satoshi bared two gifts in his hands as he ran over to hug his Melmetal, and then to Snorlax. Inside Melmetal’s gift were nuts and bolts? And inside the other was a water melon?</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Snorlax ate the watermelon in one go, and it made Gou and Raboot shudder, remembering what had happened in Galar. But what really brought their attention was Melmetal simply absorbing all of the metal into its body. The Pokémon was overjoyed as it wrapped its arms around Satoshi.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou and his Raboot went back up the stairs, and immediately walked into Kaki’s bare chest. He understood why some people don’t wear shirts, but really?</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Sorry,” Gou apologized. “I wasn’t looking where I was walking.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“It’s okay,” Kaki offered him a smile. “Actually, do you want to have a battle?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“A battle?” Gou asked in awe.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I never seen a Raboot before,” Kaki told them. “It would be a great experience for me to see what happens.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Do you want to battle?” Gou asked Raboot, who was standing next to him. The Pokémon shrugged his shoulders, which seemed like a standard reply. “Okay let’s do it.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">A moments later, he was standing in the horrid sand again, and it was getting somewhat dark by the sunset. Raboot was in front of him, and Kaki brought out Marowak to battle.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Marowak use flame thrower!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The Marowak spun his bone and a powerful blast of fire erupted out of there. Gou ordered Raboot to dodge out of the way; he even had to step aside so that he didn’t get caught in it either. And sand spilled in his shoe.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Raboot use quick attack!” The Pokémon dashed forward towards the opponent.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What the-“ Kiawr realize that Gou ordered him to use a normal move, which meant either he was crazy or just stupid. But since he stuck with Satoshi for so long, maybe he was using a tactic.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Raboot attempted to tackle the Pokémon, but the rabbit phased through due to the ghost typing of Marowak.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“It had no effect?!?!” Gou shouted. He forgotten that Alolan Marowak was now a ghost type.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Marowak use bone rush!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Marowak was about to hit the confused Raboot with his bone club, but the rabbit jumped out of the way using his ears.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Raboot use double kick on the sand!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Raboot kicked the sand twice, sending sand into the air to create a diversion.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Fan it away and use bonemerang!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The bone Pokémon spun it’s bone fast, sending the sand away. It then threw the bone into the air, throwing it like a boomerang towards the rabbit.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The bone flew in a giant arc into the air, turning around and flying straight to Raboot.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Raboot dodge and use the bone to send ember!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wait what?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Raboot ducked under the bonemerang and chased after it. The rabbit Pokémon jumped and used it’s fire charged feet to ignite the spinning horn with flames, sending it back to the sender.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Marowak took massive damage from the bonemerang, but from the fire as well.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Marowak use bone rush!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The bone Pokémon ran toward Raboot, it’s giant bone club in its right hand still.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Raboot use blaze kick!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Raboot flipped upside down and sent a powerful fiery kick towards the giant club. The rabbit was able to use the continuing momentum and released a powerful blow to the Marowak.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Finish him with ember!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Raboot kicked a pebble into the air, keeping it up a few times before it caught on fire. Raboot kicked it into the air once more before using a roundhouse kick to send it towards Marowak. A streak of flame singed the sand in its pathway as it made its way to Marowak.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Use flamethrower!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Marowak blew vicious flames at the ember, but it was no use as it was too late. Marowak got hit directly with the ember in its chest before it fainted.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Raboot we won!” Gou cheered loudly as he ran towards his Pokémon. Well... sluggishly ran towards his Pokémon. The sand was really weighing him down as he basically waddled to his Pokémon. Raboot gave the trainer a fist bump, but then requested to be picked up by Gou.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“That was a great battle,” Kaki extended his hand so that Gou can shake it. “I never battled against someone like you before.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I rarely battle anymore,” Gou joked. “I’m more of a researcher than a battler.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Nonsense!” Kaki raised his fists into the air and firmed his chest. “You-“ he pointed at Gou “-have been with Satoshi for a while! You must have inherited some of his battling strategies during your travels!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I might have,” Gou said as he and the other trainer started walking back to the house. “He did battle a lot of trainers for the World Championships.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“World Championships?” Kaki asked. “Satoshi is part of that?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Yeah,” Gou confirmed. “What about it?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Professor Kukui is ranked 548 right now,” he explained. “What’s Satoshi at?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Maybe 2000?” Gou couldn’t remember the number. “I’m not sure.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Then that means-“ Kaki dashed towards the door and jumped into the living room. The others were now talking with Satoshi as their Pokémon had gathered in another corner of the house. Kukui was taking notes in his laptop while Burnet was outside with the baby.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Professor Kukui,” Kaki asked, making him stop in his work. “You should battle Satoshi! He’s participating in the World Championships!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You are?” Kukui turned to Satoshi, who was now completely absorbed at the mere mention of battle.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I am!” Satoshi stood up and walked over to the professor. “Why don’t we battle?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“As much as I love to battle right now,” Kukui explained. “It is night out now. Maybe tomorrow.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“It is!” Mao stood up along with her Pokémon. “Oh no! I have to go home! It’s almost curfew!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Let’s go Primarina,” Suiren called their Pokémon and left with Mao.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We’ll see you tomorrow!” Kaki and Mamane left the house with their Pokémon too.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wow...” Kukui stepped into the now empty living room, and sighed. “It feels so nice to have a quiet home now.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hey Professor Kukui,” Satoshi asked. “Is it okay if we stayed here? Or should we go to a hotel?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou realized that Satoshi had completely disregarded housing and was banking on living off the professor. He was quite angry, but he didn’t show it as Kukui laughed whole-heartedly.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I knew you would ask,” Kukui laughed. “Brunet has been preparing a room for the both of you. Go check it out!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Where is she?” Satoshi asked, realizing that her and baby Satoshi were gone.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“She’s at the other house,” Kukui explained.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You two have another house?!?!” Satoshi asked.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We bought the house next door because of baby Satoshi,” Kukui explained. “Also, we wanted a place to call hone that isn’t this lab.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Satoshi!” Burnet walked into the laboratory with baby Satoshi in her arms. “Gou! Kukui! Time to go home!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’ll just grab some things before I go,” Kukui said as he went down stairs. “You two go first!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi and Gou stared in amazement as Burnet lead them to the house next door. It was a house on the beach just like the other, but this house was bigger and felt more... posh.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Professor Burnet opened the front door and revealed a house with a spacious living room, kitchen, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, and 4000 square foot house.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Thank Kukui for being Royal Mask for a few years,” Burnet laughed at the mere mention of the celebrity. “The room down the hall all the way is the guest room,” she explained. “The bathroom is shared with the nursery next door, so be careful with that.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Thank you for inviting us into your home,” Gou Bowes, realizing that this entire time he hasn’t shown any mannerisms about entering peoples homes. Raboot followed along with the bow as well. Satoshi and Pikachu, however, stumbled around before bowing at the professor.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh no need for that!” Burnet brushes off the formalities. “Oh- and one more thing! There’s only one bed in there, but I can go set up another if you need one.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou looked at Satoshi, who also looked back at him. They stared at each other briefly, before turning away with harsh blushes.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Okay you two,” Burnet told them. “Break it up. I know you two have something going on. It’s obvious.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The two of them quickly looked at each other in the eyes. A sense of fear erupted in the both of them, covering them with doubt and sweat. They both remained silent, unsure what to say to the woman in front of them.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“W-wait you do?” Gou asked in shock. “I-is that bad?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh Arceus no,” Burnet walked the two boys down the hall towards their room, explaining along the way, “I’m not blind. I had that same look on your faces when I saw Kukui for the first time. I thought I was going crazy, and then blah blah blah details and bam. We’re married and I have a kid.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">A sense of relief ensued over Gou and Satoshi. They both were able to breathe and release the sense of angst within them. Gou could still feel his shoulders stiffened, but Satoshi was completely fine.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The room Burnet brought them into had one queen sized bed taking up the majority of the room. There was a small sliding door that lead to the patio outside, and there was quite an amount of space around the bed so that they can move around the room.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Bathroom is the door on the right,” Burnet explained. “Nursery is next door so please don’t be too loud. I apologize in advance if Satoshi wakes you up.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Which one?” Gou asked, breaking the awkward silence between him and Satoshi.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Both,” Burnet pointed towards the bed, making both Satoshi and Gou sit on there. “Sit. We’re going to talk.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Talk?” Satoshi asked. “About what?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What is,” she waved her free hand at the both of them, alluding to their relationship. “This?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Gou and I have been dating for 6 months,” Satoshi explained. “And we planned on hiding it for as long as we can.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Satoshi...” Gou muttered. “He’s right.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Six months….” Burnet sighed. “I can understand why. Some people in the world are horrible.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I just wanted to keep us safe,” Gou brought it up, alluding to the decision they made. “We saved some Gallade back in Sinnoh and it turns out, two of those Gallade were gay and were being outcasted by their families.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Burnet sighed once more. “Yeah... this is a relatively new thing that’s going on. And we just have to navigate this carefully.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So...” Gou looked back at Satoshi, and then to the professor. “Are we... okay?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh Arceus please-“ Burnet grabbed the two of them in one swoop of a hug. “Stay as long as you need to! A good mother knows her boundaries, and knows what she needs to do to keep her kid safe.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So it’s okay if we share a bed?” Satoshi asked in delight.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Actually,” Burnet reconsidered. “You two are now approaching puberty...”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh no not this again,” Satoshi loudly grunted and Gou simply sat on the bed, readying himself for the next upcoming headache.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We’re going to trust you two sharing a bed.” Burnet said as she approached the bed stand. “But... we need to have some ground rules.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Okay,” Gou loosened up his shoulders and faced the Professor. “What ground rules are there?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You two must be clothed the whole time here,” Burnet gave them both the stink eye, and Gou gave a look at Satoshi.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hey!” Satoshi hid his blush as he tugged his shirt down.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou rolled his eyes. “Exactly.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You two must be follow house rules,” Burnet added. “Be home by nine and and sleep before 12.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Actually,” Gou brought up. “We came to study Alolan Meowths so we might have to stay out late. You know… dark types.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou was still very nervous in being in front of Burnet’s presence. She and Kukui are the only people in the world that know of their relationship, and it’s really scaring him. Despite her attempt to mother them and to show her support for them, she still gives off that scary vibe to them.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Fine,” Burnet didn’t seem fine. “Be back and let us know when you’ll be out and about. Got it?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Got it.” They both replied.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“If you do anything that leads after kissing,” Burnet added on, “then you two will be in trouble. Got it?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wait,” Satoshi asked. “What comes after kissing?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Next point,” Burnet ignored his question. “Hugs and hand holding is okay, but make sure you remember to leave your hands and feet at appropriate areas. No touchy-touchy any part that has clothing over it.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Why would we-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou cut off Satoshi and explained to the professor. “We’re not that type of couple.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Burnet rolled her eyes. “Yet.” Even baby Satoshi rolled his eyes, which surprised both the boys and even the mother. “Any questions?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’m just...” Gou paused before asking his question. “At what point did you notice?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Notice what?” Burnet moves her baby up and held him in a different position. “The relationship? I can feel a closeness between you two and with the way you look at each other, it was obvious.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So...” Gou nervously caressed his fingers and rubbed his knees together. “Does that mean...”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“The front door yes,” Burnet explained.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Dang it,” Gou remarked. “Thought we weren’t that obvious.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You two aren’t,” Burnet sat down on the bed, realizing that this talk would take a lot longer than expected. “None of the kids from earlier noticed, and I doubt Satoshi’s Pokémon know either.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi noticed the uneasiness leaving Gou, but noticed that he was still tense and nervous.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Is there anything else we should know?” Satoshi asked the professor.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We’re about to go get dinner,” Burnet sat up and headed towards the door with her baby. “Get ready.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">As soon as Burnet left the door, the boys started planning.</p><p class="p2"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“That was so good!” Satoshi and Pikachu both took a deep breath to fully digest their food.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The two boys, Burnet, Kukui, baby Satoshi, Pikachu, and Raboot were all at an Alolan themed restaurant that mainly serves seafood and fruit-based appetizers. They had a full 3 course meal, with Burnet and Kukui taking turns watching over Satoshi. They spent the night talking about Satoshi’s previous adventure in Alola, and how he eventually became the champion.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">At the mere mention of the champion and the professor, the restaurant staff made a big celebration of it and decided to honor the returning champion with a free dish. So naturally, they ate it too.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You two really are hopeless,” Gou and Raboot snickered to themselves, remembering what happened last time.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Burnet gave her husband a look, and picked up the canvas bag for a diaper for their baby.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’m going to take baby Satoshi to the restroom for a diaper change,” Burnet told the table and picked up the baby. “I’ll be right back!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hold it!” Gou called, halting the woman with white hair.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Gou!” Satoshi pulled on the boy’s shirt. “What are you-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Don’t you dare go pay for the table.” Gou walked over to Professor Burnet and her baby and looked up to her eyes. “You changed Satoshi before we left the house. I doubt Satoshi can be that fast.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You got good eyes Gou,” Burnet said, dropping her act immediately. “But I already paid for the bill.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“No way,” Satoshi replied, sitting next to Pikachu and Professor Kukui. “You two didn’t get up the whole time!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Who says we needed to get up to pay the bill?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The six (including the baby) turned over to Professor Kukui, who sat slumped in his chair with a tooth pick in his mouth. He slowly revealed a blue metallic credit card in between his twirled fingers.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Thanks to Rotom Registers, we don’t need to get up,” Kukui pointed to the red Rotom floating through the ceiling of the restaurant. “We can use the NFC chip on our cards and tap on the card reader to pay.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“That’s so evil!” Satoshi pointed out. “And that’s so cool!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Sit back down Gou-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“If it worked correctly.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">All attention was driven towards Satoshi, who pulled out a receipt.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I saw the Rotom Registers outside when we were waiting,” Satoshi explained. “I knew you might use it, so I asked Rotom to help me with something. Rotom!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The Rotom flew down and hovered close to Satoshi. “Look familiar to you?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“That’s your Smartphone Rotom!” Burner realized after staring at the eyes intensely. “You rigged the system!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So who did I pay for?” Kukui pulled out the receipt.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You paid for the table next to us,” Satoshi chuckled as he put his phone away with Rotom. The register Rotom went back to work after that. “We should tell them we paid for their meal.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Nice play Satoshi,” Burnet sat back down next to Kukui, and Gou did the same with Satoshi. Baby Satoshi looked at his parents, and then over to the two boys. There was this wave of fear and strong aura taking over the atmosphere. It seemed to get harder to breathe, and the cheery atmosphere of the family restaurant slowly turned into a forbidden battlefield of revenge. Burnet turned towards her husband remarked the boy’s antics. “We taught him so well.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Indeed we did,” Professor Kukui adjusted his seat and was now sitting up. “But it looks like they’re forgetting something.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh-“ Satoshi looked out the window. “I don’t think we did.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The table turned over to the window that overlooked the coastline and saw something that amazed their eyes. Dragonnite flapped its wings in the air, holding up the fainted Empoleon that was rigged with research gear.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Empoleon!” Kukui got up from the table and ran over to the Emperor Pokemon. He quickly inspected the Pokemon of any harm before returning it into his poke ball.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“As soon as Satoshi told me that he saw the Rotom Registers taking payment,” Gou stood up from his spot and pointed towards the Dragonnite. “I told him to get Dragonnite to survey the area for pokemon that can hack the system.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Gou you genius,” Burnet remarked at the black haired boy. “You figured us out.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“It seems Dragonnite was only able to find one pokemon though,” Gou studied the two professors’ expressions. “Satoshi told me you two would do anything. So I’m guessing Dragonnite didn’t find the other pokemon.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Professor Burnet laughed, as she acknowledged Gou’s work. “You caught yourself a good friend Satoshi. He’s right. There’s another Pokemon- but they’re not outside at all.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wait a minute-“ Satoshi looked around the restaurant and scanned all the waiters and the pokemon in the restaurant. The restaurant itself was very big on the inside, so there were multiple Pokemon moving around helping the waiters out. The raven-haired boy looked until he saw something spark his eye.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Tapu Koko!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Coming from the ceiling, Tapu Koko emerged and lowered itself on the table. The totem pokemon chirped happiness as it remembered Satoshi and gave the boy a hug.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Did you get it Tapu Koko?” Kukui asked the large pokemon. Now everyone in the restaurant was turned to them. From Satoshi rigging the Rotom Registers to the Dragonnite appearing by the window, everyone turned towards the table with the Alolan Champion and the professor. And now, there was a legendary Pokemon in the restaurant as well.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The Pokémon nodded yes, and sighed an apology before looking at Satoshi. Gou aimed his Pokedex at Tapu Koko, and suddenly realized the situation he was in.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Where is it?” Kukui asked the pokemon.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The pokemon barked a response before lifting up firm his covered arms a Riolu. The pokemon was being helped from his foot and had been trying very hard to escape. Unfortunately, it suffered a few Natures’ Madnesses and was too hurt to continue.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Riolu!” Satoshi accepted his pokemon back and quickly returned the aura pokemon into his poke ball.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I knew you would try a tactic that we normally would do,” Kukui explained as he high-fived the totem pokemon. “So we had Tapu Koko go around the inside of the restaurant to find any small pokemon looking for our bill.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So you played us like we played you,” Gou acknowledged. “Well done professor.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kukui and Burnet brushed off Gou’s compliment. “We should be saying something like that to you two. We didn’t expect anyone to find Empoleon.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wait a minute…”Gou turned towards Satoshi. “So who has the bill now?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What do you mean?” Satoshi turned towards his boyfriend. “Don’t you have the bill?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I don’t have the bill.” He turned towards Burnet and Kukui. “So do you two have the bill?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wait-“ they both turned to each other. “You don’t have the bill?!?!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Tapu Koko stopped Riolu and Empoleon got blocked…” Kukui turned towards his wife, and then towards the two boys, and then immediately got up.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Stop!” Gou and Satoshi tried to chase after them, but they both fell to the ground.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What the-“ Gou looked at his foot and saw that there were vines that sprouted that tied them to the floor.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“This is vine whip,” Satoshi tried to pull the vines out and realized what pokemon could do this.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Thanks Venusaur!” Kukui ran over to the nearest Rotom Register, walking around the tables to get there on time.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi pointed at the professor “Pikachu use thunderbolt on the professor!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Pika…” Pikachu slapped his cheeks and jumped into the air. “-CHUUU!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The lightening shot from the electric mouse, but the attack was blocked by Tapu Koko.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Tapu Koko!” The guardian deity shot itself in front of the attack and braced it. It lifted its shields and derailed the electricity flow.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Thanks Tapu Koko!” Professor Kukui scoured the area for a Rotom Register, and noticed that none of them were flying around. He decided to flag down the front desk and ask for the bill.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hello,” Professor Kukui breathed hard as he reached the front desk. “Can… Can I have the bill?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Your table has been paid sir,” the clerk gave him the checkbook and handed him the pen. “Can you have the owner of the card sign this?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kukui quickly opened the book and looked inside to see who’s card had paid for the bill.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Like I said before,” Gou said as Raboot burned the vine whip off of his feet. “Lucky Rabbit’s foot.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Raboot gave Professor a snicker and quickly stomped the vine to incinerate.</p><p class="p2"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Burnet and Kukui were fuming when they <strike>left</strike> the restaurant. The manager and the waiters were excited to see them leave, seeing that it was the most elaborate and convoluted battle of the bill they have ever seen. Even a legendary pokemon showed up, which made them even more excited to kick the group out. Both Burnet and Kukui gave Raboot the stink eye as they walked home, grunting and cursing about the failed realization that a Raboot was being an edgy Pokémon for a reason.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Raboot had simply snuck towards the front desk as soon as Gou and Satoshi were caught by the vine whip.He carefully avoided being seen by Tapu Koko, who got distracted by Pikachu, and maneuvered to the front desk by itself. Raboot then used its cute bunny eyes and ears to tempt the waiter to accept Gou’s card.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The rabbit Pokémon did feel bad for the Professor, but Gou was ecstatic about him paying.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Just think of this as payment for letting us stay in your home,” Gou incentivized. “I just wanted to show my gratitude.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“No kissing,” Burnet declared as she carried asleep baby Satoshi in her arms. “At all.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Satoshi’s heart broke after that. In fact, it was so loud that even Professor Kukui heard it. The man chuckled as he carried the baby stroller by hand over the sand.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh come on sweetie,” Professor Kukui offered his hand on her shoulder. “All we have to do is sneak a few hundred dollars in their bags before they leave.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hey that’s a good idea,” Professor Burnet smiled, coming to a realization. “We can just send the money on their phones and-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’m already blocking you,” Gou blatantly said out loud as he went on his Rotom phone. He also grabbed Satoshi’s phone too.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh he’s good...”</p><p class="p2"> </p>
<hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“How was your first day of Alola?” Satoshi asked as he entered the room after taking a shower.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou has showered first and had opened the windows and screen doors to allow the cool outside air to flow through the room. It felt a lot cooler now, but it was still fairly warm in the room, as the room itself was somewhat poor at retaining cool air within it.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I can see why you like Alola,” Gou said as he laid down on the comforter. Both Raboot and Pikachu were on one side playing with Riolu (who got healed by Burnet) whilst Gou was sitting at the other side that was facing the beach. The night time Alolan ocean offered a dark blue shine that was unique to this land. It’s dark spots and it’s contrast to the light brown Alolan sand made it seem like clear, but dark murky water. “The people here are nice.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So is the food!” Satoshi exclaimed as he sat down next to his boyfriend. “And I love the area!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“The food is good too,” Gou slowly reached up and grabbed Satoshi’s soft left hand. He quickly let go though, realizing that all the windows are open. “But I’m not sure about... the beaches.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“The beaches?” Satoshi asked in wonder as Gou stood up and started closing the windows.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“There’s so much sand,” Gou exasperated as he closed the first window. “And it’s so humid outside,” he complained as he walked over to the second window. “How do you live with it?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I told you to wear shorts,” Satoshi said, recalling the day before they flew over to Alola. “But you didn’t listen.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou grunted as he closed the screen doors next. “Joggers are an amazing style of pants. They’re adaptive and they stretch. They also keep your legs covered.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“And your hoodie?” Satoshi stares at him with a smile, and Gou looked the other way.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The boy walked over and was able to close the window without too much work. “I like this hoodie! It’s more androgynous than masculine! Plus it brings out my red highlights!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Raboot even chipped in a few compliments as well. He nodded in agreement that the clothing style fits him.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“See-“ Gou closed the last window almost shut and left a small nook of space for ventilation. “Even Raboot agreed with me.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Gou,” Satoshi sighed. “You’re so tense. Ever since we came here you’ve been so icky and hesitant about everything. How come?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Well for one thing,” Gou walked back to his spot and sat at the bed side. “I wasn’t expecting Alola to be so bright and humid.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We already said that.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“And I didn’t expect this place to be your second home,” Gou explained to the boy. “We never spoke much about where you went or what your past adventures were Satoshi. I didn’t know you lived here long enough to graduate from trainer school. And also, I didn’t know you were the champion.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Gou...” Satoshi gripped Gou’s right hand with his left. “Do you really feel that way?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“And now, Professor Burnet and Kukui know about us,” Gou laid down and stared at the ceiling from the comforter. “I’m scared Satoshi. I’m scared.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We can trust Burnet and Kukui,” Satoshi laud down next to him and stared at his face. “They... they basically accepted me as their child when I was here.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I know I know,” Gou gave a loud yawn and rubbed his eyes before looking at Satoshi. “It’s just that... we said to each other we would hide everything. But... how good of a job were we doing if they could easily figure it out.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“To be fair,” Satoshi decided to use Gou’s phrase. “They are basically my parents.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Sakuragi is also a parent,” Gou stated. “How long until then will he find out? And then Koharu? And then everyone?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I see your point,” Satoshi leaned closer to Gou’s shoulder, up to the point his hair was touching his face slightly. “But don’t you think you’re treating them too harshly?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’m scared Satoshi,” Gou shifted closer to Satoshi on the comforter, ignoring the fact that this was the first time in months they got to share a bed together. “I’m just... feel a little hopeless knowing that people can figure out we’re in a relationship without us actually talking to each other.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“They did not find out that early.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“They figured it out as soon as they saw me at their door,” Gou told him. “Burnet mentioned it on the way home remember.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">On their way home, Kukui had asked about the relationship and they spewed everything there. They told the professors the story of Gallade, their decision to stay hide in public, and their decisions along the way that lead them to here.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Oh that’s right-“ Satoshi turned to his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around the black haired boy. “So what can I do to make you feel less hopeless?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I don’t know…” Gou leaned his head against the soft cushion of Satoshi’s chest and snuggled against the boy. “I just… don’t want to mess anything up.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We’re not messing anything up,” Satoshi smiled and leaned his knees higher so that their bodies were somewhat entangled in a snuggle. “We’re doing the best we can.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“If you say so...”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Hey!” Satoshi straightened himself and almost sat up. “I’m the Alolan champion- I can protect you from anyone who stands in our way!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Gou’s face went for a smile, and it wasn’t for the fact that Satoshi was the strongest trainer in Alola. He smiled because he realized that Satoshi was trying his best to cheer him up- and it worked. The emotions and the possibilities of them getting caught were still in the back of his mind, but Satoshi managed to distract him enough in the moment to make him smile. Maybe that’s why he liked Satoshi so much. Gou giggled with his head still against his chest, making the raven-haired boy smile.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">"Which reminds me-" Satoshi reached around and Pikachu extended the small bag towards Gou. "I got you something earlier."</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">"You did?" Gou received a little brown paper bag and carefully dug its contents out.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So I think we scared Gou a little bit,” Burnet said as she rested baby Satoshi on the crib next to the bed.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Scared them?” Kukui asked. “What did you tell them?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Basic house rules,” Burnet replied back. “No touching where clothing is present, clothed all the time… you know…. Hormonal teenager things.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Not that,” Kukui sat down on the bed and watched his wife walk towards the bed. “Did you say anything about exposing them?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We both told them we’re fine with them secretly dating,” Burnet removed the bed covers and sat down beside her husband. “But Gou seems really tense about it still.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We just have to give him space,” Kukui suggested. “I’m assuming Satoshi didn’t tell him about anything with Alola, so he’s probably still processing everything.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I just-“ Burnet faced her husband and clung to his arm. “UGGG I JUST WANT TO SQUEEZE HIS CHEEKS AND TELL HIM EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY AND-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Woah woah woah settle down,” Kukui told his clinging wife. “You’re just like a Chatot using uproar.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“They’re just so precious,” Burnet explained. “They both have dreams that involve traveling the world and they’re both so scared of it. Gou is just so- GAHHH!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Gou is just so GAHH?” Kukui asked in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Brunet sighed. “Gou is still so introverted. Satoshi and his extraversion adopted Gou and they became such a good couple. They’re still in the honeymoon phase and-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Honeymoon phase?” That struck a cord in Professor Kukui. “What- they’re out of that phase.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Are they?” Burnet straightened herself and thought about it. “No…”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kukui reasoned, “Didn’t you notice that they’re not attacking each other when they’re not in public? They dated for half a year and they’ve managed to hide it so good that we were the first ones to pick it up. Not that we’re amazing people, but think about the thousands of people they probably encountered that didn’t figure it out. They’re doing a good job.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I guess that’s true…” Burnet thought about it. “Maybe they’re really good at being private about stuff.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Or,” Kukui suggested. “They’re so in love that they don’t do anything anymore because they trust each other so much?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Burnet had an idea pop in her head. “Or maybe they’re so used to hiding and censoring themselves they are touch-deprived and are not used to doing couple stuff!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">As his wife continued to ponder that route with ideas on how to get them closer, Kukui sighed loudly and walked over to the bathroom. He knew there was no stopping in his wife interfering with Satoshi and Gou, so he immediately surrendered and just prayed to Arceus that she doesn’t do anything ridiculous.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Some notes about the things that went on:</p><p>1) Burnet and Kukui are smart people.... I imagine they can figure it out. </p><p>2) the bill scene was quite a mess in my eyes but I honestly didn't know how I could top the first one in the other chapter. Chapter one's was too epic. </p><p>3) I can imagine Gou low key disliking Alola because of the climate change from Kanto to there. He's a city boy- he was raised with concrete not sand. </p><p>4) What did Satoshi get Gou? And what is Burnet planning? HMMMMM.</p><p>5) Ignore all the times I spelled Kaki wrong. Honestly I forgot about fixing his name. Oops. </p><p>I'm honestly not sure on how long I want to extend this series. I haven't even finished Gou vs Serena yet. And irl I'm going to be way busy, so I'm not sure when I'll update. </p><p>I created a new blog called Untitled_Pokemon_blog under Negira1239-Pokemon (in tumblr) because I want to start reaching out to others because I really want to collaborate with others. I'm very bad at reaching out to people on tumblr and I'm very bad at starting conversations. Just shoot a hello or something- I'm better at replying than starting a new conversation. </p><p>Okay I'm done talking about my loneliness and my laziness and my busy-ness. Have a good day yall! Stay safe! (and maybe hidden)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Alola Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Satoshi and Gou spend their days in Alola!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I’m not gonna lie, I think this is a bit short. Keep in mind, at this point I don’t know how many words I typed. I just hope y’all enjoy the content in here. </p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Professor Burnet knocked on the door softly at 9am. She was about to wake up the boys to join her and her family for breakfast, and she wanted to know what they were going to do for the day.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">After talking with Professor Kukui the night before, she had an idea in her head on where Satoshi’s and Gou’s dating level were at. Well, not level, but at what time interval/stage they’re at. Her theory of Honeymoon stage was debunked by Kukui, and now she was rather curious to see where they’re at. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">But at the same time, they were a special circumstance. Not because their relationship is made of two people of the same gender, but because they were so hidden in the public world that it’s hard to denote what type of couple they’ve become. You can’t compare them to other people because most couples in the world are straight- so how do you rank them? But then again, is there a point to rank them? To establish them at a certain stage? </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">All Burnet wanted to do was to show her support and that she’s willing to help them if problems arise. All she wanted was for them to be happy after all. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Satoshi?” Professor Burnet softly spoke at the door. “Gou? You two awake yet?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Surprisingly, the door opened. She looked at eye level and saw nothing there. She looked down, and saw Raboot staring at her with tired eyes. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m sorry little one,” Burnet smiled and patted the rabbit’s head. “Did I wake you up?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The rabbit Pokémon barked a response and pointed its paw at the bed. Burnet didn’t want to intrude in case something was happening, but the rabbit Pokémon invited her in. She stepped into the room and saw both Satoshi and Gou sleeping in the bed together. Pikachu and the Rotom phones were at the bed side trying to figure out how to wake the two up. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Step aside,” Burnet said to both Pikachu and the Rotom phones. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">She gave one good stare at Satoshi and Gou sleeping in bed together. They were both facing each other, their faces inches apart from kissing. Satoshi was on the left side of the bed with his arms and legs spread out under the covers whilst Gou was sleeping on the right side. However, Gou was sleeping entirely on Satoshi’s arm, his slimmer body outlined by the covers could be seen wrapped around Satoshi’s as well. They were both smiling too, their mouths curved upwards and their hands connecting (Gou’s right and Satoshi’s left). Burnet could feel a tear coming out of her eye as she looked down at these two boys. They were always to be protected, and-</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“WHAT DID I SAY?!?!” Burnet screamed like a punk rock artist as she threw the covers up. “NO TOUCHY TOUCHY ANY PARTS WITH CLOTHING OVER IT!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">She was right. Gou’s left arm somehow ended up against Satoshi’s chest. His shirt must have rolled up enough for Gou to do so. And both Satoshi’s and Gou’s legs were entangled with each other as well. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The boys woke up cold, scared, and surprised as the whole world started to turn on them. They just had the best sleep they’ve ever had in the last five months, and it was now ruined by Professor Burnet. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi screamed and rolled left, falling to the floor due to the sudden coldness. He fell face first against the hard wood floor and shivered. Gou covered his ears and pulled his legs up to fetal position. The two boys screamed in fear, afraid of the repercussions to come. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We’re sorry!” The two boys immediately apologized and cried. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Did you get that on tape?” Burnet asked the two Rotom phones floating around. They both nodded. “Send that to me ASAP. I need to show to this to Kukui.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hey what about-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi was cut off by Burnet giving him a freakishly scary stare into his soul. Her body was faced toward the door but she turned her head enough to reveal red eyes and a grin that can chip babies in half. The intimidating stare was enough to silence them, but the faint ghost-like presence of her overpowering aura was what made them shut up. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What did I say about touchy-touchy body parts?” Burnet said in the lowest pitched voice she could. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi fell back to the ground and hid behind the mattress as protection. Gou quickly grabbed the covers and covered himself in fear of Burnet attacking him next. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Okay you two,” she switched back to her normal voice. “Breakfast is ready but we expect to see you in thirty minutes. See you downstairs!” She skipped out of the room, no evil or ill will with each step. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Pikachu and Raboot laughed at the Rotoms replaying the footage over and over as both Gou and Satoshi immediately jumped out of bed and got ready. They were so scared of the punishment they were about to receive from Burnet that they didn’t even realize that their own Pokémon were laughing at their misery. </span>
</p><hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So... we’re fine?” Gou asked as Burnet poured him a glass of orange juice. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We didn’t do anything wrong?” Satoshi asked as his glass was poured full next.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Nope,” Burnet said as she placed the half full (half empty?) pitcher of orange juice back on the table. “I just wanted to wake you two up for breakfast.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Then why did you scream at us?” Satoshi asked as he used his fork to break open the egg yolk. “We both got so scared that we did something wrong.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I did it because I knew you two slept early yesterday,” Burnet sat down at her chair, next to Baby Satoshi, and proceeded to feed him. She got a plastic spoonful of baby food and proceeded to feed her child. “It’s not healthy for children your age to sleep over 11 hours in a night. It messes up hormone development and whatnot.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hormones?” Satoshi asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I just wanted to wonder why,” Gou set his fork down and sighed loudly. “It’s just... we don’t really get to spend time like that at all. We just... wanted to spend some quality time together. That’s all.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“There’s a difference between quality time and quantity time,” Burnet said as she continued to feed baby Satoshi. “You two are at Alola- the region with the smallest native population and the smallest cities. It’s not hard to separate yourselves from other people if you want privacy. But it’s the matter of making every moment count.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“That’s what we’ve been doing for the past six months,” Gou told the professor. “We have this system where whenever we’re alone together we try to make ourselves happy simply by being there. And... it doesn’t matter what we’re doing- as long as we’re side by side, standing in the face of danger together- we can do anything.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi smiled and reached his hand over to Gou’s who gripped it firmly and shook it a bit. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Both Pikachu and Raboot looked at each other with smiles of their own, and Burnet couldn’t agree more. The two boys are such saps for each other. It’s a wonder how they didn’t become diabetic yet- they were just too sweet for each other.</span>
</p><hr/><p class="p3"><br/>The two boys had just finished observing the Alolan Meowths for the morning and were now coming into the late afternoon. The Alolan sun was shining bright into the sky, radiating its glorious rays of sunshine down onto the beautiful beaches and the spacious towns.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Both Gou and Satoshi were a bit hungry when they just finished up their research for the day. The Alolan Meowths were more interested in human antics, singular Meowth simply followed humans around observed to see who was worthy of them. Truth be told, maybe they were more greedy and prestigious than they thought- they only followed people who were strong, had leadership skills, or people who had money. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Those Meowths were ruthless,” Gou recalled as he and Satoshi made it back in the main city. “I never seen a pokemon drawn so much to human interaction.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Me neither,” Satoshi wondered. “I wonder how are they’re wild if they’re-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi’s stomach growled at that moment, along with Pikachu’s. The two blushed at the sounds of their stomached calling for food and substance . </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We get it you’re hungry,” Gou sighed as he looked by for nearby restaurants for lunch. “There’s a restaurant by the beach that way and-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We’re going this way!” Satoshi went the opposite direction of where Gou was pointing and started to walk there with Pikachu over his shoulder. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“H-hey!” Gou and his Raboot chases after him, and caught up with Satoshi. “Where are we going?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“To a restaurant that I haven’t been to in a long time!” Satoshi excitedly cheered as they walked down the road. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“If you think a place is that good,” Gou states. “By all means, let’s go.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The restaurant they ended up at was Mao’s father’s restaurant. As they walked in, both Satoshi and Gou were hugged down by Mao, who was extremely excited to see her old friend back at the restaurant. The people inside were not only surprised to see the waiter react like that. However, hey were also surprised to see the champion in the restaurant as well. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">But what caught Gou really off guard was how close he was to Satoshi. They have been keeping such a good record of distancing in public no one would have figured out they were dating. But now that they were in a small restaurant and that now they were less than two inches apart, Gou could feel the urge to hold Satoshi’s hand. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Let me get you a table!” Mao directed the group to a small table at the side of the restaurant. Due to the increase of guests, they added more smaller side tables that can hold one or two guests along the sides. They just so happened to be the one nearest to the kitchen. Gou and Satoshi sat down on the chairs while Pikachu and Raboot sat on the floor. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Well well well!” The chef in the back called. “If it isn’t the Alola Champion!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hey Mao’s dad!” Satoshi called. “Make me the best dishes you got!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You got it buddy!” He replied. “And your friend?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“The same as well!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou blushed and realized that they attracted attention from everyone in the restaurant. “Satoshi!” He hushed. “I’m not gonna eat all that!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Then I will!” Satoshi snickered at the sound of eating everything off the menu, and it haunted Gou. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">-About an hour and a half later - </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m so full,” Satoshi said as he finished off the last bit of rice on his plate. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I can’t believe you,” Gou signed as he looked at the stack of seven dishes in front of Satoshi. He had one, and a few bites of Satoshi’s fourth plate. “You’re getting fat from this.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Unless I burn it all off,” Satoshi gloated as he picked his teeth with his tooth pick. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Man,” Mao took a chair from the nearby table and sat down beside them. “Satoshi, you really are becoming a glutton.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The restaurant lunch rush had died by that point. Now, them and another two tables were left in the restaurant. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Your dad makes the best dishes!” Satoshi smiled as he took a swig of water. “I can’t resist not eating!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Now that-a-boy!” The father shouted from the kitchen. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou bent down to the lower half of the table and checked on both Raboot and Pikachu. The tow Pokémon are their share of berries and other foods, and were also becoming full. He winked at Raboot, who nodded and stood up. Raboot started to do a few stretches as it has just ate. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So what are you plans for later today?” Mao asked the two boys. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We were planning to go to the Aether Foundation,” Satoshi announced. “We heard from Professor Burnet that a few Alolan Meowths life there.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Apparently,” Gou recited from his research. “They’re very driven to human interaction. We wanted to see if those in captivity make a difference.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I see,” Mao wondered, tapping her chin with her finger and her foot on the floor. “Maybe you should find the Persian that lives in this city.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Persian?” Gou asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Yeah,” Mao answered. “A lady in this city owns a Persian. But she goes to work so the Persian roams the city freely.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I think I remember that Persian,” Satoshi realized. “Then it’s settled! Let’s go!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Satoshi we haven’t gotten the bill yet,” Gou sighed as he got his card out. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Nuh-huh,” Satoshi denied. “I’m paying for lunch. You can save your card for next time!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Satoshi,” Gou pestered. “It’s fine if I pay for your food once in a while.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou!” Satoshi shouted. “You literally paid for every single meal every time we go out together!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou blushed, “I have the better reward points and benefits! Plus, unlike someone, I pay for my bills on time.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“That was only once and it was because Riolu hatched!” Satoshi reasoned. “Baby Pokémon are so hard to take care of!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You two are too cute,” Mao interrupted. “But don’t worry about the bill. It’s on the house.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou and Satoshi looked at each other, and then at Mao, and then back at each other. And then at Mao. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“She’s the real enemy here,” Gou stated out loud.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Work together so that we can pay for the bill?” Satoshi asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Agreed.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hey hey what are you-“ Mao stood up from her chair and frantically pushed it back into the other table. Gou and Satoshi also stood up, standing straight with their shoulders up and their hands armed with their credit cards. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou glared at the woman in front of him, and snarled, “We’re paying for our lunch. Give us the checkbook.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Look you guys,” Mao reasoned. “We wanted to treat you because it was you Satoshi that brought more attention to us and-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We’re paying for our lunch not because we have money,” Satoshi glared at his friend too. His teeth rattled with every grin, and his eyes pierced souls simply by looking at them. “We’re paying because we’re good friends and we support each other and any way possible.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m scared...” Mao slowly stepped back, and the boys stepped forward. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Mao’s pokemon, Tsuarrne, moved in front of its trainer and stood confidently with its long legs. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">However, the two boys radiated a dark aura so powerful, the grass type Pokémon shuttered at the change in atmosphere that it ran off into the kitchen. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Tsuarrne!” Mao called back. “Please guys we don’t have to resort to violence or anything.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Let us pay...” both Gou and Satoshi recited in a zombie-like tone. “Let us pay.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I can’t,” Mao gripped her back pocket, making sure the receipt for their order was on there. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">And she patted around. Nothing was there.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What the-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You did it Raboot!” Gou excitedly cheered as the rabbit Pokémon handed him the order receipt. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“W-what...” Mao fell to her knees, her long green hair now almost touching the ground. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Nooo!” Satoshi slammed head down on the table and cried as Gou danced his victory in front of him. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I got the bill~!” Gou sung as he waved his paper around. “Ha ha! Loser!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“W-was this all an elaborate trick?” Mao asked, almost to the verge of tears. “I just wanted to thank you for giving us popularity. But you won’t even accept it.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Because we don’t need things like this,” Satoshi smiled. “I would care more if you stayed my friend than get the tab of my order you know.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Pika!” Pikachu agreed. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You guys...” Mao teared up. “You don’t have to-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You’re trying to get away with us not paying the bill still,” Gou pointed out. “Aren’t you?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“And I would have gotten away with it,” Mao signed as she took his card. “If it wasn’t for you and your meddling rabbit.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hey. It’s a lucky Rabbit’s foot.”</span>
</p><hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So what’s the plan again...?” Satoshi asked his Pikachu and the two other boys present with him. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We’re going to go to this new battle spot!” Kiawi shouted, amping up Satoshi and his Pikachu at the same time. “It just opened up and a lot of people in the Pokémon World Championships are there!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“There’s a bunch of people over there right now!” Mamane begged Satoshi. “Maybe we can see some powerful Pokémon!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Let’s go!” Satoshi grabbed his Pikachu and sprinted down the sidewalk, completely ignoring Kiawi and Mamanen standing there, facing the opposite direction of where Satoshi was supposed to go to. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The boys shouted back at Satoshi and ran after him. “Wait!” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So what’s the plan again...?” Gou asked both Mao and Sui as they entered the mall complex. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You’re sticking out like a sore thumb,” Mao pointed and poked his chest. “Everyone can tell you’re not from here from how you dress.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Isn’t that the point of me being a tourist?” Gou asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Yes,” Mao nodded. “But you’re here for a business trip! It’s part of the culture to wear more appropriate attire for the heat and humidity!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Aren’t you hot and sweaty from wearing that all the time?” Suiren asked the black haired boy in front of her. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Yeah...” Gou patted his sides down and he noticed how warm and sweaty he was becoming- and they were in air conditioning. “Let’s do it then.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The plan, in long term, was to find out if Gou had a crush on anyone. And the group (Mao, Suiren, Mamane, and Kiawi) all thought that Gou had a crush on one particular person:</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Kiawi. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The plan was for Mao and Suiren to interrogate Gou and to find his flavor pallet while Kiawi and Mamane go distract Satoshi at the new battle area. Kiawi was fully aware of the plan, so he wanted to interrogate Satoshi about Gou. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The girls made Gou go through H,M and grabbed a variety of clothes for the boy to change into. With Gou’s more skinny body and taller physique, the girls found more access and more ability for Gou to dress. However, Gou only wanted to dress in monochrome and red only. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“It’s my style to wear red and black though,” Gou said as he refused a blue button up. “Right Raboot?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Raboot nodded as it munched on a carrot treat. The Pokémon they brought along sat on the free benches in the fitting room area. The rabbit Pokémon sat by itself on the bench whilst Tsuarnne and Primarina played around with each other.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“See,” Gou looked back to the girls, who gave him a smug look. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I could see him pull off white,” Suiren muttered to the other girl.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What about green?” Mao asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“But that’s your color,” Suiren explained. “We need him to match more with him.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3"><span class="s2">The mere mention of the word “him” shuttered Gou. </span> <span class="s3">Did they find him out? What about Satoshi? Did they know about him?</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What else should we try then?” Mao asked, looking around the store to see what could work with Gou.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gray?” Suiren asked.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I said no monochrome or dark colors,” Mao barked loudly. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Fine,” Suiren said as she grabbed the rack of green shirts. “Go try this on boy. And you better walk out in all of them.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou nervously grabbed the bundle of green shirts and other pairs of pants and walked silently into the dressing room. As soon as he locked himself in and set the clothes down, he grabbed his Rotom phone and immediately texted Satoshi. </span>
</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p3">
    <span class="s3">I think they found out about us.</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Sawyer!” Satoshi called. “What the heck are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The three boys (Satoshi, Mamane, and Kiawi) all made it to the new battle ground. Set up outside of Hau’oli city nearing the cliff side, there were four giant battle grounds ready to use. A club house residing beside the courts manned them, making sure they’re in pristine condition for upcoming battles. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Sawyer dressed the same way as he did in Kalos, but one phenomenal change was his height. He was two inches taller now. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Satoshi!” Sawyer ran up to the trainer and gave him a fist bump. “It’s been a while!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Sawyer!” Satoshi introduced, “these are my friends Mamane and this is Kiawi!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The green haired boy gave a smile to them. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Sawyer.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Both Mamane and Kiawi introduces themselves and shook Sawyer’s hand. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You guys made it just in time!” Sawyer pointed to the middle. “I’m next in line to battle!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So what is this place?” Kiawi asked the green haired boy. “I just see a bunch of trainers standing around.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“This is a community battle spot,” Sawyer explained. “Trainers simply gather here and battle each other. There’s an on-site nurse joy, a cafeteria, and they invite trainers from around the world. The best part is that this place is endorsed by the Pokémon World Championships!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Are you in the World Championships too?” Satoshi asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I am!” Sawyer jumped at the mention of the name. “I’m rank 1002!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Do you want to battle?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m so down!” Sawyer pointed at Satoshi. “I want to show you how much I’ve improved since Kalos.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Then bring it on!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Within minutes, a battle field opened up and a World Championships Rotom had landed in the middle of the space. It scanned both Sawyer’s and Satoshi’s identifications and then proceeded to the battle. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Go!” Sawyer brought out his Pokémon. “Sceptile!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Sceptile popped out of its pokeball and roared its name loudly. It recognize Satoshi, and got more pumped. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi gave a loud whistle; which surprised both Sawyer and his Pokémon. The boy could feel a draft coming in, and could feel something going on. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Pika pika?” Pikachu asked, wondering if it should step into the battle field. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Sorry Pikachu,” the boy rubbed the electric mouse’s head. “I have a different Pokémon in mind.” He screamed into the air, “OIII! DO YOU WANT TO BATTLE WITH ME?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Sawyer was about to respond, thinking Satoshi’s yell was towards him. But he stopped himself as he and Sceptile noticed the heat of the day becoming cooler. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The air seemed to vibrate around them as the wind started to pick up. The nearby spectators and the other battlers momentarily paused as they all looked up to the now giant hole opening up in the sky. Satoshi smiled confidently as he could recognize the wormhole opening up up right above the battle field. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s4"><strong>In the research lab</strong>. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“It’s an ultra hole opening!” Burnet saw through the screen readings. “Call the Ultra Guardians!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <strong> <span class="s4">Back at the battle field</span> <span class="s5">. </span> </strong>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Naganadel pulled itself out of the wormhole and stationed itself beside Satoshi. The boy told the ultra beast some kind words before it positioned its stinger at the opposing Pokémon. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What is that?!?!” Sawyer asked as he tried to take note of it. He even pulled out his Pokédex- something he hadn’t have to pull out for a while and scanned the Pokémon. The Pokédex didn’t even read it, calling it an unknown Pokémon. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We’re giving it everything we got!” Satoshi said as Naganadel roared. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The Rotom Referee didn’t know whether this was a legitimate battle, because it also couldn’t read Naganadel’s information. However, Satoshi’s Rotom Dex quickly updated it to include all the Ultra beasts. The Rotom quickly sent a message back to headquarters and asked the trainers to wait for authentication. Kiawi informed Professor Burent that it was only Naganadel and that Satoshi summoned it. The pause was only five minutes before the Rotom got confirmation. They approved Satoshi’s use of Naganadel and started the battle. “Begin!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Sceptile!” Sawyer pulled out his mega stone. “Mega Evolve!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The Pokémon’s green band and mega stone flowed a powerful green as the Pokémon grew bigger in size. The tail extended longer, it’s body and head grew taller, and it’s hands had grown longer in length. Mega Sceptile appeared before them. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Use Frenzy Plant!” Sawyer commanded his Pokémon. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The Pokémon slammed it’s hands into the ground and spires of wild vines grew out of the ground. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi yelled at the ultra beast. “Dodge and use Cross Poison!” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Naganadel quickly maneuvered the vines and crossed its arms, creating a powerful poison on its hands. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Use Dragon Claw!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Sceptile intercepted the incoming cross poison with its dragon claw and was able to stop the attack. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Naganadel aimed its stinger at the Sceptile, which surprised both Sawyer and Sceptile. Satoshi yelled his Pokémon to use Dragon Pulse, and the ultra beast shot out a powerful blast of dragon energy. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Mega Sceptile was able to escape the fight, but it was badly injured at its lower body. The Pokémon seemed too hurt for fast movement now. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“That Dragon pulse is so powerful,” Sawyer said as he took note from the damage. “Are you okay Sceptile?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The Pokémon kept a brave face for its trainer and stood up confidentially, persisting with the battle. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Naganadel!” Satoshi called. “Let’s finish this!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Sceptile use leaf storm!” The Mega Sceptile turned its tail forward so that it could launch it. It shuttered in pain from the dragon pulse attack earlier, and shot its tail at the Naganadel.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Use Cross Poison!” Satoshi called. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The ultra beast intercepted the leaf storm tail directly on. Using cross poison to block the lead storm, Naganadel roared as it was able to block against the leaf storm. It brushed it off to the side, letting the leaf storm run off course off the battle field. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">At that point, Satoshi heard a notification from his Rotom phone. The phone floated near Satoshi, and notified him of the new message. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I look like a Christmas tree,” Gou said as he walked out of the dressing room. The boy walked out wearing a dark green baggy t-shirt that had the red poke ball design on the center. He wore a pair of black shorts with red laces as well. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I didn’t think about that...” Mao muttered to herself.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You forgot about this,” Suiren said, handing him a thin black vest that barely reached past his belly button. Gou put it on and turned towards the mirror. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“... yeah this isn’t working for me.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Too much black,” Suiren noted. “That’s a nope.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Try on the next outfit!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou walked back into the dressing room and locked the door behind him. He took off all the new clothing on him and changed into the next outfit planned for him. The boy walked out in three minutes, walking to the mirrors and stood on the little podium. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“No.” Gou told the girls as he turned towards the mirrors to look at himself. He had a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a white t-shirt with red sleeves and shoulders. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Oh come on,” Mao reasoned with the boy. “That fits you so much!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Does it really?” Gou said as he stared at himself in the mirror. Since Gou always wore joggers out, his calf’s were mostly half tanned and his thighs were pretty pale in comparison. These cargo shorts were very loose at the bottom, and Gou felt rather uncomfortable about feeling breezes of wind go up his pants and into his nether regions. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You could always be more tanned,” Suiren noted the pale thighs that she could see. “But you can work on that.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Stop staring at my legs!” Gou said as he covered his legs with his hands. A faint blush consumed over his face. “Fine I’ll go change into something else.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou quickly ran off into the dressing room and got out of that disgusting attire. As he was changing into the next outfit, he got a text message from Satoshi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p3">
    <span class="s3">What makes you say that?</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou typed in his reply as he placed a shirt over him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p3">
    <span class="s3">Mao and Sui are making me dress up for someone. And we’re not together right now. I think they’re dressing me up for you!</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The boy fixed his shirt and walked out of the dressing room. He strode over to the podium once again and looked at himself in the mirror. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What is this?” Gou asked as he pulled on the somewhat small black tank top underneath him. Gou wore a long t-shirt that had pre-rolled sleeves on it, so that his pale upper arms were exposed. The black shirt itself was long, passing his crotch and it had one pocket up front. The opening for his head was wide too; his collar bones and neck were exposed and he felt weird seeing his pale upper chest in the mirror. He also wore a pair of black jean shorts, which he could only see the bottom of thanks to the long shirt. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“This is H,M’s new collection,” Mao explained to the boy. “The shirt is long and thin so that it’s breezy and it makes you look taller. That’s why we put another inside you- so it’s not too baggy and we don’t see anything you don’t want to show us.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The black tank top underneath him worked similar to a wife beater, except that the fabric didn’t stretch to him. It was basically another t-shirt inside of him and. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Honestly you look good with this,” Suiren said as she played around with the outside shirt’s fabric. “It’s so long it makes you tall.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“But this makes me look like I’m wearing a skinny dress,” Gou said as he pulled the sides of the shirt from behind to expose how thin the boy was. Mao and Sui realized that Gou was practically a twig, and that he wasn’t sucking it in. “That’s a nope from me.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What do you think we should do?” Mao asked Suiren. “We’re running out of options.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou,” Sui ordered. “Go change into the next one. I think you’ll really like it.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou went back into the dressing room and noticed that he got a new message from Satoshi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p3">
    <span class="s3">I think you’re right. Mamane and Kiawi are acting suspicious when I asked why we didn’t invite you guys. </span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou had pulled his long shirt off by that point and he replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p3">
    <span class="s3">What should we do? We can’t let them know about us.</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou changed into his next outfit and walked out of the dressing room. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">This time, he was wearing a black t-shirt with a red poke ball on it, but it had red borders on the bottom of the shirt, the sleeves, and around his collar. The black t-shirt was also accompanied by a black pair of shorts. They also had a poke ball on the left thigh, but the length of them went past his knees- something the other shorts failed to do. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m actually okay with this,” Gou said as he turned around. The back of the shirt was purely black, except for the red stripes connecting the red borders of the sleeves to the bottom of the shirt. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Not bad Gou,” Mao said as she look a closer look at the boy’s physique. “Not bad.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I can’t believe there’s something else that I like,” Gou admitted out loud as he posed for Raboot. The Pokémon gave him a thumbs up. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3"><span class="s2">“Something else?” Suiren interrogated. “Or some</span> <span class="s3">one</span> <span class="s2"> else?”</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Ehh?” Gou asked. “For... who?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hmmm,” Suiren walked closer to the boy, and Gou took a step back. “We can tell you’re hiding your feelings from someone, Gou.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Don’t worry,” Mao said as she draped her arm over him. “We won’t tell anyone you like Kiawi.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou’s face was flushed like a tomato when she mentioned the word like. He thought it was all over and they all knew about him. However, the name Kiawi had thrown him off of that tangent and surprisingly stuck him back to reality. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“H-how did you know?” He lied. Gou realized that everything was coming together. They were separated purposely. Mao and Suiren were helping him look like for Kiawi. And Mamane and Kiawi were gonna interrogate Satoshi about him. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We saw how red you got when you were battling Kiawi the other night,” Mao explained. “You were smiling when you came back from the battle. We also remembered how you bumped into Kiawi, and you were checking him out!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We won’t shame you here,” Suiren added on as she stood by his side. “But we wanted to make you look good for him- let’s see what happens!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou silently walked back into the dressing room and sat down for a minute on the chair. Instead of panicking, like he normally would, he texted Satoshi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p3">
    <span class="s3">So... they think I like Kiawi.</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">After beating Sawyer, everyone could immediately identify Satoshi as the Alolan champion and urged him to battle everyone. And so he did. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Six consecutive one on one battles later, he won every single one of them. First using Naganadel against Sawyer’s Mega Sceptile, and then using Riolu against an Alolan Golem, and then using Gengar against a Trevanent. He then finished it off with Lycanrock against a Galarian Corsola, Dragonite against a Wishiwashi, and then Pikachu against an opponent’s Corviknight. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi sat down on a bench with his two friends- who also won some battles- and started to drink his refreshing berry juice. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“That was so much fun!” Satoshi said as he laid down against the other chairs. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You got a new message Satoshi!” His Rotom phone said as he hovered next to his head. Satoshi grabbed the Rotom phone and read the mesaage. He raised his brow when Gou said that his friends are picking up that Gou likes someone. But he lost his breath at the mention of that someone being Kiawi. He started laughing at the text messages and bawled at the bench he was lying down on.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What happened Satoshi?” Mamane asked, curios what popped up on his phone. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Oh nothing,” Satoshi played it off. “Someone sent me something really funny and I just lost it.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You have a friend that sends you memes?!?!” Kiawi asked. “Can we see?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Oh umm-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hey champion!” A random boy standing behind him called his attention. “Can we have a battle?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Let’s do it!” Satoshi stood up. “I’ll see you two in a bit!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I wish I had a friend who sent me memes,” Kiawi cried as he moped about the lost meme.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’ll send you some memes Kiawi...” Mamane ribbed his back.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“But they’re not good memes...”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi quickly ran off, hiding the red in his face as he walked over to the now open battle field. He told Rotom to text the boy back, saying:</span>
</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p3">
    <span class="s3">So what should we do?</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou looked at his phone and thought about it. He didn’t know what he should do. Should he tell them the truth? Lead them astray? Both?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">He noticed how long he was taking in there, and quickly fumbled into the new pair of shorts before exiting the dressing room.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“No.” Gou denied as he walked to the podium wearing a blue and white stripped tank top. He wore a pair of cargo shorts too. He quickly covered his exposed shoulders with his hands.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Oh come on!” Mao said as she tried to release the cling of his fingers off his shoulders. “You can’t say no to every outfit!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I hate tank tops,” Gou stated. “And I especially hate shorts. Especially cargo shorts.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“But you get really hot!” Mao whined. “Alolan weather will make you sweaty if you wear too many clothes!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“She’s right you know,” Suiren said as she made Gou step off the podium. “Maybe you can do something like wear tube socks.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Tube socks?” Gou asked. “What the heck are those?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Wait a minute,” Mao went back to the pile and dig into it. She went to the very bottom and pulled out a roll of long, black socks. “Try these on!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“...Socks?” Gou asked, slowly reaching out to accept the article of clothing. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Long socks!” Mao stated. “This goes up to half way of your calf! So you have exposed your upper calf and your knee!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“But what’s the point if 40% of Alola is beaches?” Gou asked. “Plus these will take long to pull off.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Then why not wear joggers?” Suiren asked.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“That’s what I said!” Gou shouted in agreement. “Mao wants me to try new styles!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“That’s because all you wear is the same hoodie and pants!” Mao combated. “You can’t wear the same clothing all the time!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“How many times have you wore that overall?” Gou asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hey! Don’t blame my lack of character design!” Mao shouted back. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So any other reason why I shouldn’t wear joggers?” Gou gave her a raised brow. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Well...” Mao sighed. “Gou. You have a tall and thin body for a ten year old. You can use that to your advantage... you know?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Advantage?” Gou asked in confusion. “For what? Research?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Advantage for...” Mao paused before she whispered the world loudly. “Love.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Both Suiren and Gou jumped back at the word and even staggered backwards a bit. Love? Isn’t that too soon for a ten year old? What was she talking about.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">In Gou’s mind, he started seeing a point with Mao’s logic. With his six months of Satoshi, there were some things he wanted to do to satisfy Satoshi more, but due to their hiding situation, he couldn’t really do much. Maybe it was time for an outfit change?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">No. Having an outfit change could be risky because if people found out he changed his outfit for Satoshi, people could figure out that they were dating. Doing this could not only hurt them, but maybe others? Maybe even Burnet and Kukui who were so open and kind to them? Well... kind is questionable in the mornings, but point is- he shouldn’t do it. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">But wait! She said Love! And she said Kiawi too. Was she- no. Were they... making him dress in bright colors for Kiawi? Did he like bright colors? He wasn’t actually sure about that. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou realized that he had been frozen in contemplation this whole time. The girls had been staring at him, and were wondering on their own end too. Wait- is he blushing. Oh Arceus he’s blushing. Oh Arceus oh Arceus oh-</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“N-No!” Gou refused. “I don’t l-like anyone enough to d-do that!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Mao and Suiren looked at each other mischievously before stepping closer to the black haired boy. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We never asked if you liked someone..” Mao’s loud whisper made his arms and legs wobble in place. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So Gou...” Suiren was the first to step up to Gou and grabbed his arm. She quickly reeled him in like a fishing line and he fell forward, landing in between the two girls. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Who do you like?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“N-N-No one!” Gou stampers. “I-I don’t like anyone!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Are you sure?” Suiren asked as she cupped his ear so that he could hear her clearly. “You’re not lying are you?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou stood up properly and distanced himself from the two girls. They blocked his exit, and Raboot was too far away to call for help. So he had one thing he could do.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Fine,” he sighed. “I like someone.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Who is it?” Both girls got closer to him, excited to hear the new information. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">This was Gou’s last chance to admit the truth or lie. He gulped, looking at the serious expressions in both of the girls in front of him. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">But something popped in his mind and it made him smile. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I do like someone...” Gou stated.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Who is it?” Mao impatiently asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Well...” Gou teased. “I think they’re handsome...”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“They’re?” Suiren asked. “Gender neutral pronouns?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou teased some more. “They have a way with their hair...”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hair...?” Mao noted.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“And...” Gou leaned in close to whisper this last detail. “I like how sculpted they are.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Both Mao and Suiren fell backwards with nosebleeds. This was too much for the girls, hearing how a boy likes how sculpted one of their friends are was not what they were expecting. At all. The two were crying and cheering and doing a combination of both as Gou walked back to the dressing room to change.</span>
</p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p class="p3">
    <span class="s3">Change of plans. I told them I like someone handsome, has a way with their hair, and I like how sculpted they are. </span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou sent the text message and changed back into his original clothes. He separated the black and red laced shirt from earlier and the other pair of black joggers out of the pile, deciding that those were the only the only two things he’ll buy. He returned the remaining clothes to the return pile and walked back to the girls. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The girls were hypothesizing the next step: a gift! Gou needed to present a gift to the person he likes!</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">After Gou paid for the clothes, the girls and him (and their Pokémon) went over to a jewelry store. The store itself was small, having different display shelves for necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and other sorts of items. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The girls watched strangely as Gou talked to the clerk. They watched as the clerk directed them to the open area with the chairs, and they told the group to wait there shortly for another employee to come out. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Minutes later, another employee comes out with a tool kit and directs Gou to sit on a high chair next to the display case. The girls watched in awe as the employee brought out an earring gun and punched a hole in the bottom of Gou’s left ear. The girls, being used to it, laughed as Gou and Raboot winced in pain from the punch in the ear. The employee gave Gou instructions on how to clean the piercing, and that he would have to go through wearing the protector for weeks until the hole healed for him to wear other earrings. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">After they left, Gou directed them outside the mall to the nearby market place. He looked around in awe as he saw more people and Pokémon walk through the market than in the mall itself. He stopped by a stall selling local fruit and requested to buy some. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Mao and Sui realized what Gou was doing immediately. He was buying groceries for dinner! </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">After the transaction, he and Raboot started to walk to the next food stall. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hey!” Mao smacked the back of his head, making him scream loudly in pain. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What!” Gou rubbed the back of his head.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We came with you because we wanted to help you get together with the person you like!” Mao said. “We didn’t come to help you grocery shop!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We were close by so I decided I was buying ingredients for tonight’s dinner...” Gou said as he held his bag of fresh fruit. “I need some vegetables actually-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Tell us right now who it is so we can help you!” Suiren begged. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Mao gave the boy a set of puppy eyes. “We just want to see you happy you know.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou sighed loudly. They had no bad intentions, and all they wanted to do was help. “Fine. Let me grab some ingredients first. But think what I can get for him.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">He turned around and cringed to the word choice for a male pronoun. Now they know he’s attracted to males and now they were going to harass him. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">In his best voice- he was feeling a bit insecure about potentially risking his safety- he asked the girls. “Can you two get a set of flowers? I don’t know if he cares which ones- you two know him more than I do.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two girls nodded in agreement. “We can definitely help you out!” Mao promised. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You two should go together,” Gou said as he continued staring away from the girls. “I’m... gonna buy a card and write something in it.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Before the two girls ran off, Sui asked him. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What color do you think he’ll like?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“...red.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two girls agreed and ran off while Gou continued grocery shopping with Raboot. Thanks to the expanded space in his backpack, he was able to stuff in his newly bought clothes in there. He bought some more vegetables, some imported spices, and some essential ingredients. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Mamane felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out. He read the messages and showed them o Kiawi. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“H-he really likes me...” Kiawi teared up and cried as Mao sent them a picture of flowers that they bought. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Mao just texted saying Gou’s gonna write you a card!” Mamane added. “What a guy!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I feel bad that I can’t reciprocate those feelings back at him!” Kiawi cried loudly. “But I will fight my next battle using those feelings to strengthen my Pokémon!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi had finished his ninth battle and was starting to tire out. Riolu, after one fight with a pesky Scrafty, was about to pass out from exhaustion. Dragonnite, Naganadel, and Pikachu were the only ones that battled twice and they were starting to tire out as well. He sent Naganadel back through the Ultra Hole, and walked over to the two boss sitting at the benches. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“It’s getting late,” Satoshi pointed out. “Should we go meet up with the girls?” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“They just said they were at the market!” Mamane told the raven haired boy. “We can meet them at the beach on front of there.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Great idea,” Satoshi smiled. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">They met up about thirty minutes later, and Gou had everything planned. He changed shirts so that he was wearing a T-shirt now. He also gripped the bushel of flowers with both hands and breathed. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">He was about to confess, and he was nervous. Gou wondered and paced in circles as he tried to remember the lines he told Satoshi private about confessing his love to him for the first time. He couldn’t remember all of it, but he could remember the most important parts. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi was nervous as well. He had been getting updated regularly by Gou on what was going on, but now he stopped and he had no clue on what was to come. He didn’t know whether or not Gou trusted his friends enough to share their relationship. And he didn’t know what Gou had revealed thus far, with the whole “they think I like Kiawi” text from earlier. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Kiawi spotted Mao and Suiren standing at the end of the pier. Gou was standing beside them, holding the bunch of flowers with both hands, and looking towards the ocean for guidance. His hair ruffled against the wind, and his blue eyes matched the ocean’s water as mid day hit. His new top was slightly baggy enough to reveal some exposed skin from his waist, and it made Satoshi shutter. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Luckily, both Mamane and Kiawi were distracted enough by the girls that they didn’t notice Satoshi stare at his boyfriend in awe. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You guys made it!” Mao shouted, watching them go up the steps and walking towards them down the pier. “We got a surprise for you!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Come on!” Suiren shouted. “We don’t got all day!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The boys made it to the end of the pier, and they all stared at Gou. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou was standing at the end of the pier facing the ocean. Mao (left) and Suiren (right) we’re a foot away from Gou closer to the coast. Then stood Mamane in front of Mao, then Kiawi, then Satoshi going from left to right. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou...” Mao called. “It’s time.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou turned around and revealed his face towards the guys. His face of sad and his eyes of sorrow was the first thing Satoshi noticed. He then noticed the left earring, and realized that Gou got that earlier. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I...” Gou muttered. “I realized that this is gonna be hard.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The boy took a few steps towards the coast and stopped in front of Kiawi. Mamane took a step back to allow them to have space, and Satoshi did the same. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hey...” Gou stared at Kiawi’s eyes, then Satoshi’s, and then back at Kiawi’s. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s3">Wait what?</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Ever since I met you,” Gou told the boy in front of him. “I couldn’t believe you’re a real person. You have courage for being able to present who you are naturally. And you’re so unique in comparison to other people. Maybe it’s because you have a way with Pokémon that I never seen before... or maybe it’s because I never met someone like you. But... I learned a lot from our time together and I realized something....”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou handed Kiawi the flowers and and looked towards the boy. “The feelings I have for you...”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The girls gasped at the phrase, causing Gou to pause in his speech. The boy looked desperately at Satoshi, and then back to Kiawi. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Are gone.” Gou looked down and gripped his fists. “I’m sorry. But... I thought I liked you. But I’ve been thinking about it and...” he looked back up to see Kiawi crying. Gou lifted his free hand and wiped the tear off of Kiawi’s face.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You have beautiful eyes Kiawi...” Gou said in a light voice. “And you have such a brave and manly spirit. You’re so proud of your origins and identity that you’ve become this entity of power and inspiration...”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“... but alas,” Gou finished off. “I’m afraid that I can’t keep up with your spirit and that I can’t inspire you the same way you inspire me.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Kiawi was about to saw something, but Gou halted him with his hand. He handed the boy a card, and then spoke.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Please read the letter when you’re alone,” Gou begged. “And I beg of you that you just accept me as a friend and that you allow me to move on from this.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Kiawi gulped, and saw that Gou was giving him one last look. His blue eyes were telling him that he was being dull; he couldn’t see himself or him through them. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I...” Kiawi took a deep breath. “I would love to remain friends Gou.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou gave him a smile and turned towards the two girls and Mamane, who all grouped together in a giant hug and cried. He also gave them a smile before walking over to Satoshi. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hey...” he acknowledged Satoshi. “Can we go home?” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Yeah...” Satoshi patted his back and signaled to his friends that they were going. The friends waved back and allowed them to silently walk towards the end of the pier.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Pikachu and Raboot greeted them with bags of groceries, and they walked down the coast line to Kukui’s house. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">...</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">...</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">...</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Raboot gave Gou’s leg three taps, and the boy took a deep breathe. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Wooo!” Gou cheered loudly, scaring Pikachu and Satoshi half to death. “We’re in the clear!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“In the clear...?” Satoshi asked. “I’m confused...”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou laughed and hyped themself up by jumping in place and shouting. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“My plan worked!” Gou cheered loudly as he high fives Raboot. “You’re a genius!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What plan?” Satoshi asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou explained everything that was going on. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">First, he lead the girls to believe that he liked a boy. He then gave vague details that describe both Satoshi and Kiawi, so that he wasn’t lying to the girls. He then shopped for groceries while the girls got Kiawi’s favorite flowers. And at the pier, he simply received his declaration of love he gave to Satoshi, but twisted some words in it so it was a “I’m sorry, it’s me, not you” speech. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So this was all a lie?” Satoshi asked Gou.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“No,” Gou admitted. “I told the truth! And remember dummy! I love you! Not Kiawi!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou...” Satoshi looked around, realizing that Gou declared love in public, something he thought they agreed not to do. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Raboot said it was clear,” Gou stretched over and gave Satoshi a kiss on the cheek. “Plus... I’m really excited to spend the rest of the day with you.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi’s face of concern slowly morphed into a happy face full of excitement. But something was throwing him off. “But what was in the card?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I wrote more in detail about how I can’t love him and that it’s all my own fault,” Gou admitted. “I parodied a lot of love movies and I made sure to mention that the long distance relationship wouldn’t be worth it in the end due to my endless traveling and my commitment to research.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hmmm...” Something was still rubbing Satoshi wrong. “Why did you buy groceries?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Because we’re making dinner for Kukui and Burnet and baby Satoshi,” Gou said as he showed him the ingredients. “I’m making my grandmother’s stew for them.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What!!!” Satoshi screamed in excitement. “I’m so excited to have that again!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Then let’s go!” Gou said, running next to Satoshi and the two Pokémon as they traveled down back to Kukui’s house. </span>
</p><hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Kiawi opened the letter up, and saw the inside bunched up with a lot of writing. He read the entire thing twice before slamming his fist into his table. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">His mother knocked on the door, and slowly moved her head in. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Is everything okay?” She asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Kiawi his the letter and turned around, revealing a face filled with happiness and smiles. “Nope! Everything’s fine! (UwU)”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">His mother smiled and closed the door, carrying on with her day. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Kiawi pulled the letter out and read it once more because he couldn’t believe it. Gou wrote out a 7 paragraph essay with MLA formatting on how he, himself, is so driven to Pokémon research at this age that he doesn’t want to focus on a relationship. He even gave citations from articles supporting his drive to research! </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Kiawi texted the group chat that he read the letter, and decided to keep the information towards himself. He explained that Gou gave a lot of reasoning in the letter and that he was happy that he didn’t have to reject him. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">But Kiawi cried that night, knowing that he was the one who got rejected. </span>
</p><hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Satoshi and Gou haven’t returned yet. Haven’t they?” Burnet said as she was collecting her things from the lab. She had baby Satoshi in her arms as she put away the last notebook on the shelf. “Should we call them?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Satoshi told me earlier that he went home to take a nap,” Kukui said as he turned off the computer. “I gave him my house key so that they could go in.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So they’re asleep?” Burnet asked. The two professors locked up the lab and were now walking back to their house. “How long ago was this?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Like two hours ago?” Kukui told his wife. “Hang on. The lights are on.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Their house’s first floor lights were on. However, it seemed like no one was in the living room. The professors slowly unlocked the gate, walked in, closed the gate, and walked over to their front door. They could hear banter occurring behind the door. Laughter and small teases filled the first floor with noise. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Burnet unlocked the door and opened it slowly. And the first thing that hit the family was the smell. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The smell of cooked food made them both close their eyes and hum in silence. They couldn’t tell what it was, but they could tell that it was good. Both of the professors entered the house and saw Gou manning a pot on the stove while Satoshi was on dishes. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Welcome home!” They both said, giggling and smiling at each other for their unintentional jinx. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What on Alola is going on?” Kukui asked the two boys as Burnet set the canvas bag of baby stuff on the couch. The family walked over to the kitchen and they could see a decent pot of some sort of stew brewing. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I made my grandmother’s stew,” Gou said as he gave it a stir. “And Satoshi’s been doing the dishes so we don’t have much to do after this.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Wait wait wait,” Burnet set baby Satoshi down. “So you two went out and got groceries? And made dinner?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou planned all this,” Satoshi admitted. “I just helped.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Woah honey,” Kukui took a look inside. “The carrots are star shaped!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Star shaped?!?!” Burnet ran over to the stove and saw the pot filled with a white thick broth filled with numerous vegetables, fruit, and berries. The aroma was through the roof as the notes of all spice were making her feel at ease. “This... this smells so good too.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“It’s done if you two want to try it.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The table got set and Gou dispensed to everyone a bowl of stew. Both Kukui and Burnet were surprised to how good the stew turned out, and Satoshi spent the dinner trying to guess what was this “secret ingredient” inside the stew. Gou refused to expose the secret obviously. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So aside from this,” Burnet asked. “What did you two do today?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou laughed and explained what had happened. Satoshi explained how he won nine consecutive battles, and Gou explained the whole event with the friends and how they thought he liked Kiawi. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So the poor boy’s at home crying because you rejected him?” Burnet asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I wrote a card stating more how it’s my fault and that I wouldn’t be able to commit to a long distance relationship due to my current efforts in Pokémon research,” He explained. “I also included fourteen Pokémon articles that I was apart of, and explained how he was affiliated with them and used them for his argument. He also told the professors that he had to switch to MLA because using APA formatting would be weirder for a letter like that. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You’re not wrong...” Kukui thought about it. “What do you think hone-“</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“That is amazing!” Burnet high fives Gou and then have him a thumbs up. “You’re my favorite adopted son!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“And you’re my favorite adopted mom,” Gou said, partially blushing. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Awww...” Burnet stood up and walked over to give Gou a big warm hug. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">...</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">...</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">...</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“No kissing after 9PM.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Make it 10 and I’ll unblock you on my phone.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Deal.”</span>
</p><hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hey... Satoshi?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Dinner had just gone and they had both showered. It was now about 8:30pm at night, and the two boys were in their bedroom. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi looked at his boyfriend Gou. Currently, he kept fumbling with the earring, and winced in pain as he removed the protector. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Do you need help cleaning that?” Satoshi asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“No,” Gou passed down the help and reached for the small box. “I just wanted you to see this.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi realized what he was doing and ran over to help the boy. He opened the box and pulled out the singular blue orb earring that matched Gou’s eyes. He got this for Gou the first day he was in Alola. He bought it for about $24k (or Poke) and it was damn well worth it. As Gou held his ear in place, he grabbed the earring and let it slip inside. He was well aware of the pain coming in, and prepared himself for it. This was literally hours after the piercing happened, and he probably shouldn’t be doing this, but he wanted to see what it would look like. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You look beautiful,” Satoshi said, giving Gou’s left cheek a kiss. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou blushed and turned right, revealing more of the earring to Satoshi. “Y-you think so?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Definitely!” Satoshi smiled. “I think you look amazing with that on!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">A faint tear came out of Gou’s eyes, and he immediately wiped it away with his right hand. The left was holding the earring up so that he wouldn’t tear his ear more. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Thanks Satoshi,” Gou smiled back, and kissed Satoshi deeply on the lips. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi decided to cut the kiss early as he felt his boyfriend wince from pain. “Hey. Get that earring out if it hurts.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Fine,” Gou pulled the earring out and stood up. “I’m gonna put some salt water on this. Can you clean the earring?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Sure,” Satoshi grabbed a tissue and started to wipe the blood off the hook. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom to clean his piercing. As Satoshi wiped the last of the earring, he noticed something next to the earring box. It was an envelope. And it was addressed to him. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi picked up the envelope and read the handwriting on there- it was Gou’s handwriting! This was from Gou to him!</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You can read it you know.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi jumped in surprise as he saw Gou approaching him around the bed. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Are you sure?” Satoshi asked. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I wrote it for you dummy.” Gou sat down on the bed and made Satoshi sit next to him. “Read it.”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi opened the contents of the envelope and found a fancy letter inside. He could tell this was fancy because of how posh it looked. It had calligraphy on the outside in gold lettering! The paper was rough and the letter was set with a wax seal; and the seal had a Seel on it that said “Seel of Approval” on it. That’s legit!</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou...” Satoshi popped the wax label off the bottom and was now able to open the letter fully. It opened into a vertical trifold with a hand written letter inside. “This is fancy...”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Just read it already!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi read the contents of the letter slowly. He read them out loud too, so that he could feel the effect of the letter stronger. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou...” Satoshi was now crying. “This is...”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou booped his nose. “I love you too~.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Some things:</p><p>1) H,M is a rip of H&amp;M and HM (Hidden Machine).<br/>2) Yes the boys have money to spend. Deal with it.<br/>3) Literally every time a character stares at another menacingly, imagine that character emulating a stand or something. It helps.<br/>4) I stan Satoshi being oblivious when it comes to puberty. He clearly hasn’t gone through for 20+ years.<br/>5) star shaped carrots &gt; regular carrots change my mind. I bet I have Raboot’s support on this one. </p><p>Okay umm... expect a 4th chapter? Like I think the next one will completely end the series. I usually do things in 3’s, but I didn’t have enough story line at the time to finish it. Welp. </p><p>And finally, I honestly feel like I have a lot more spelling errors with names in this one and I’m lazy to correct them. Feel free to spam me on how to spell Kiawi or whoever I misspelled. </p><p>Bye!!!</p><p> </p><p>Edit on 12/03/2020; please don't do the last bit with the earring in real life. Make sure you take proper cleaning procedures in regards to earrings and cleaning out your ear and that you enlist the help of a professional (or at least someone experienced) in regards to ear care. Okay Corail Rouge (follow her on Tumblr) you can stop yelling at me for that now ._.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Alola Part 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The last part of Alola before returning back to normally scheduled content in Kanto.... jk we going back to Galar after this. </p><p>Satoshi and Gou explore the Aether Foundation. They also had an interesting match with Burnet and Kukui, and then go home.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ngl, it feels weird uploading this at a random time. But life is being a pain but it's also being fun at the same time. Because everyone's home, it's so much easier to do real life research without having the general public disturb you. Fun fact: due to the lack of the general public and fisherman, scientists (specifically marine biologists) are finding substantially more research about squids and stuff. </p><p>Okay, about this fic: this has the last of my one shot ideas for Alola, and I probably won't write about Alola again in the future (unless something happens). Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p3">“You okay Gou?” Satoshi walked up to stand beside his boyfriend. The two had just boarded a ship headed to the Aether Foundation, where they were going to continue their research on Alolan Meowth.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I feel like someone’s watching us,” Gou admitted as he looked port side towards the coastline. “Like there’s a set of eyes watching us.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“That may be the Tapu’s,” Satoshi joked. “They’re the Guardians of the land, sea, sky, and beyond!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“That sounds like Groudon, Kyogre, Rayquaza, and Deoxys,” Gou joked this time. “But I see your point.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The two boys continued to joke around as the ship slowly sailed to the artificial island. Pikachu and Raboot had found a comfortable spot in the shade of the boat and were sitting there.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Meanwhile, Mao, Suiren, Mamane, and Kaki were actually below deck. The ship itself was a small boat that carried at most 15 people. However, due to a distraction, the four were able to legally board the boat and hide before the two boys can go on.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“So why are we following them?” Kaki asked the two girls. “They’re just doing research on the Meowths they live here.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“They’re acting suspicious!” Mao told everyone as she looked at the port hole of the ship. “Satoshi and Gou act a bit... too close.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“What does that mean?” Mamane asked. “They’re just friends.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Well...” Mao recalled from the experience from the restaurant. “They both fight over the bill like a married couple.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“The bill?” Kaki asked. “They got lunch together?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“At the cafeteria,” Suiren confirmed. “Mao called me afterwards, and then I called you two.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“They both threatened me to pay the bill,” Mao told everyone. “But I don’t care about that- I would do the same if I was them but- the way they did it was so reminiscent of old couples you know?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I see,” Mamane pulled out his little Pikachu computer and started typing out a document. He also opened an internet browsing tab and starting searching stuff on there. “Maybe they’re just good friends?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“You can’t just google how old couples act!” Mao shouted. “Old couples act uniquely to their relationships! It’s different per case!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“But they share some things,” Mamane said as he pulled up results. “They trust each other.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“<em>Friends</em> trust each other!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“They don’t show physically love but think about the other often.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Again,” Mao downplayed. “Everyone does that.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“They also...” Mamane squinted at the text, making sure he was actually reading that line correctly. “Stick together side by side, thick and thin.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“But everyone does that and-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Suiren lifted her hand. “Okay Mao,” she directed. “Why don’t we do this? We compare them with both of your scales. Whoever gets the closest results wins.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“What are we betting?” Mamane asked.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Loser treats the other to pancakes?” Mao suggested.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Deal!” They both shook hands.</p><hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The introduction to the head researcher at the lab was a bit... weird.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The scientist of the bunch, Faba, was sort of bashing on Satoshi, but at the same time, you can really tell he’s just a bit jealous of Satoshi. The other employees explained to Gou that Satoshi was next to Professor Kukui when he got “unmasked” and was the first trainer ever to actually battle “unmasked Royal Mask” (Faba is a very big and devoted fan). He also became the champion at such a young age, you couldn’t blame him for being a bit jealous.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The two boys were directed to the part of the indoor laboratory garden where the Meowth live, and started recording. They spent the next two hours comparing fur, comparing coins, and researching on Meowth behavior with the employees.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">It wasn’t until the Aether Foundation employees brought out the food that Gou realized something. Their fur would glisten accordingly whenever they eat, and they would often stay inside the shade and shadows of their artificial home.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“As a dark type,” an employee told Gou, “they are naturally more nocturnal, but we raised them here to fit according with the other Pokémon. That way, it’s easier for us to feed everyone.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“What are you feeding them?” Gou asked as he grabbed one of the Poke Feed pellets.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“It’s a mixture of crushed berries and seafood,” the employee explained. “They do natural berries, but they have a picky palette. In fact, they don’t eat anything as soon as it touches the floor.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“They sound boujee,” Gou sighed.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“They really are...”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Hey Gou!” Satoshi called him over. “Check it out!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou thanked the employee for their help and walked over to his boyfriend. The Meowths were very disinterested in Raboot, but all of them were giving Pikachu a massive stare down. Feeling intimidated, Pikachu climbed onto Satoshi’s shoulder, and the Meowths continued the stare down.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">However, a single Meowth walked over to the boy and tugged his shorts. Satoshi looked dow, and waved hello to the Meowth. The cat Pokémon gave the boy a smile before meowing Satoshi to carry it. The boy complied and Meowth was being carried up to his shoulder. As soon as the Meowth was over Satoshi’s shoulder, the cat Pokémon used pay day and sent the coin flying forward, knocking Pikachu off of his shoulder.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The electric mouse Pokémon hit the floor with a loud thud as Meowth jumped from Satoshi’s arm and sat upon his shoulder, resuming Pikachu’s previous spot.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Pikachu!” Satoshi bent down, lowering Meowth with it. “Are you okay?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Pikachu sat up and angrily looked at the Meowth who now sits on his spot. The mouse Pokémon threatened to send a thunderbolt to it, and the cat Pokémon was immediately disinterested.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou was surprised to see the Meowth turn around and jump off the trainer’s shoulder. And it wasn’t because the Pokémon took into consideration Pikachu’s threat, but it was because it got disinterested in Satoshi when he helped his friend. The boy quickly took down note of this, and stored the recording on his phone. He chuckled at the video of Satoshi looking around in confusion for the Meowth that was just sitting on his shoulder. Maybe he’ll joke about this later with Satoshi and cause a bit of banter.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Did you see that?” Mao asked the boy standing next to him. The group of four had now split into groups of two: Mao and Kaki and Suiren with Mamane. “Gou just laughed at a recording of Satoshi! That’s what an old couple does?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Kaki raised a brow and stared at the green haired girl with suspicion. “Are you sure? It could be that he just looked at a funny meme.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">And sure enough, they saw Gou walk up to Satoshi and Pikachu. The black haired boy displayed his phone at Satoshi, muttered something, and stepped back as Satoshi and Pikachu started to roll around the ground laughing.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Dang it,” Mao sighed.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I was right,” Mamane said as he watched the interaction unfold. He and Suiren were hiding behind another set of pillars. “They act like good friends more than a couple.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I dunno,” Suiren said as she watched Gou’s face turned red after Satoshi stared at the boy’s face. They both paused for a moment as the video started replaying itself; Satoshi’s laughter calmed down as he continued staring at Gou’s eyes. The boy dropped his blush and simply smiled back at the reaction, causing Satoshi to continue smiling. “I’m starting to think otherwise.”</p><hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The two boys, and unbeknownst to them the other four, left the Aether Foundation three hours later. Now, they were going back to the city and they were about to go home. The boat back to the city was smaller than the first one, but it was large enough for the four kids to be stowed away in storage. Gou and Satoshi sat on the boat top watching the sun go down. They were facing away from the sunset, but they could feel the last of the warm sunlight shining on their backs and their necks.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“That was…” Gou took out his phone. “Interesting.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“You got videos of me getting trolled by Meowth!” Satoshi pouted. “You meanie.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou chuckled as his Rotom suggested showing them a video of Satoshi falling over a Meowth’s coin. The video played out and it earned a laugh from Gou. Satoshi was trying to not chuckle and pout, but a small whisper of laughter escaped his mouth.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I told you this was funny!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I-it’s not!” Satoshi blushed.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou rotated his left foot so that his foot could touch Satoshi’s right. They both connected and the two boys took a quick breather.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I’m thinking of buying Burnet dinner tomorrow,” Gou told his boyfriend. “She sent a text earlier saying she’s making dinner tonight.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Are you liking Alola more now?” Satoshi asked.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“W-well...” Gou blushed. “I just don’t like the humidity and the heat. Other than that, this place is lovely.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I’m just sad you know...” Satoshi learned forward and rested on his arms. “We’re leaving soon and then… we’ll be back in Kanto.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I was gonna ask,” Gou asked. “Why not bring your Pokémon? You said you leave some of them at Professor Oak’s lab?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Satoshi looked at his boyfriend and explained. “My Pokemon made so many friends here in Alola. They’re so ingrained with Professor Kukui and Burnet and everyone that... I can’t bring them out of it. You know?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I understand,” Gou smiled and offered Satoshi a fist bump. “You know... I still feel like we’re being watched by something.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Hmm...” Satoshi stood up. “Oi!!!! Tapu Koko?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Within seconds, Tapu Koko appeared from the skies. It hovered over the boat and rested there as Satoshi asked the god a question.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“We’re you watching over us today?” Satoshi asked.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Tapu Koko looked away and blushed partially. It denied everything and tried to fly away before Satoshi could grab him. However, it got pinned down by Pikachu’s electric web.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“So...” Both Gou and Satoshi bent down and faced the fairy and electric type Pokémon. “When were you watching us?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Mao, Suiten, Kaki, and Mamane sat in silence as they heard the cries of god submissions towards the Alolan Champion. They were afraid to face the wrath of Satoshi and Gou, who had just proven themselves more scary by the day.</p><hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou surveyed the area, taking note of the nearby properties and houses. He looked at his inventory quickly, noticing that he had a good bit of money on his person.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Satoshi was right next to him stating down Burnet from across. He stared down into the woman’s eyes, watching as she too was taking note of the nearby properties. But something suspicious was going on as she looked around the corner and smirked.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“It’s my turn,” Kukui smiled as he picked up the dice.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The group was now playing monopoly at the dining room table as the night started coming in. Having an early dinner meant they could spend more time playing this disastrous game.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Kukui rolled his dice and the two cubes rolled across the table. “Double threes!” He picked up his piece from the Hau’oli airport (the 2nd train station from Pass Go) and landed at the first red of the set: Poni Canyon. </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Yes!” Burnet cheered as she helped move Kukui’s player price -Royal Mask’s mask- to the spot. “You didn’t get free parking!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“But no one bought Poni Canyon!” Professor Kukui said proudly as he gave the proper 220 currency to Burnet, who was the banker. She gave him back the property card and Kukui rolled again due to the double.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Three,” he counted. This time, Gou helped him move his Royal Mask and he landed on the Altar of the Sunne and Moone. “And I’ll take it!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">He paid Burnet the Banker 240 currency and received the property card for that.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“My turn!” She said as she picked up the dice. She cupped her hands and shook the dice vigorously inside there, making it a valiant effort to truly randomize the dice. She released, and the dice flew in to directions.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Eight!” She cheered as Satoshi grabbed her game piece, the Rotom Pokédex, and moved it eight pieces down the line. Burnet screamed and cheered more as Satoshi put her at the last spot of the board: the Pokémon League. “I got it! I got the blue set!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou sighed as she paid for the property and got the card for it. “There’s only three more properties left,” he sighed. “And I can’t complete a set anymore.” Poor Gou has the green set, but only had three other properties.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Cheer up Gou,” Satoshi told his boyfriend. “At least you got a set. I have a bunch of properties everywhere.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“But at least you’re blocking Burnet from winning,” Gou looked over to the row next to Burnet. Both the purple and orange sets were hers too. And she had houses on all of them except the one next to free parking- that had 3 houses.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“What about me?” Kukui said proudly as he was about to fill up the red set (minus one). He also had the light blue set, but everyone skips over those through the chance. “I have the set that no one lands on!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“That’s the brown one,” Gou sighed. “And both of them are taken by Satoshi and Burnet.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">With the boys distracted, she rolled the dice again and rolled an 8 through a 5 and a 3. Kukui helped her move her piece over to the chance. She picked up the card and read it silently to herself.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Blah blah blah,” she skipped the dialogue. “Go to the Altar of- shoot Kukui how much is that?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Kukui pulled out the property card and read the rent. “20 currency. I did just get it...”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">She pulled money from her account and handed it to Kukui.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“My turn,” Gou proudly stated as he rolled the dice. The two dice rolled across the table and it ended as a ten- a six and a four. “10!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">He grabbed his piece, an Apple, and moved it down from the community chest space on Burnet’s row all the way down to the property before the Ultra Hole Maintenance space: Poni Beach.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Yatta!” He cheered. “I can buy that space!” He handed the correct amount of money to Burnet and received the card.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Before Satoshi could grab the dice, Gou grabbed his arm, restricting the boy to progress.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Satoshi,” he asked. “Do you want to make a deal?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“A deal?” Satoshi wondered. “What type of deal?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I’ll buy off the Battle Tree,” Gou said and lifted a property card. “And you can have this- Akala’s Boat Dock!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Nani!!!” Both Kukui and Burnet screamed as they both realized what the deal would entail. Gou would have both the green and yellow set, and Satoshi would control all four boat docks! The only safe spaces were the Jail corner space, the community chest 3 spaces after jail, and the maintenance space Kukui owned.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Deal,” Satoshi shook his hand, and both Burnet and Kukui cried as Satoshi handed him the property card, and Gou handed him the money. “And for my turn,” he picked up the dice and threw them into the air. They both spun in the air and landed with a somewhat loud thud on the board. The dice displayed a total of seven.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Seven...” Satoshi picked up his price from the Ula’Ula Boat Dock and moved it past Go and landed on the community chest. He drew the card and cheered. “Get our of jail free card!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Kukui picked up the dice and unfortunately rolled an eight with double fours. He started tearing up as he watched Gou move his piece onto the middle green property; the Hokulani Observatory.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Nooo!” He cried as Gou read the property card of the place. He had the whole set and he had 3 houses on there. With that, Gou can charge double the rent and charge for the houses!</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“That’ll be $1,800 please,” Gou said. “Three houses and double rent.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“No...” Kukui begged. “That’s... that’s all my money!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Sorry professor,” Gou closed his eyes, and opened them to reveal crystal blue eyes that pierced his soul. In that blink of a moment, Gou menacingly stares into Kukui’s eyes, signaling threat and danger up ahead. “Rules are rules!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Professor Burnet laughed, surprising everyone at the table. She looked over to Gou, and gave him her own version of an intimidating stare. It was so effective, Gou’s attack stat dropped.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Oh Gou...” she opened her hands and dropped the dice she had picked up. The look on Gou’s face changed from that of fear to realization- she rolled the dice!</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Nooo!” Gou cried loudly as Burnet counted her roll out loud. She effectively ended Kukui’s turn by rolling the dice! Gou just got copped out 1800 currency!</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“One,” Burnet counted as she moved her price closer to her. “Two,” she counted once more, moving her avatar once more. “And three!” She landed on visiting jail.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Burnet then looked over to both Satoshi and Gou, and pulled out her fat wad of game cash. “I’m upgrading both blue properties to have hotels.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The room’s atmosphere changed drastically as Burnet paid the 2000 currency to get hotels On both The Pokémon League and the Arthur Foundation- the two blue properties.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“NANI!!!!!” Both Gou and Satoshi screamed as she slammed the two hotel pieces on the respective squares.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Professor Burnet smirked at Gou as she handed him the dice.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Here Gou...” she teased, letting the dice fall onto his hands one by one. “Be careful not to land on those squares.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Hm!” Gou pouted. “I won’t! Because I will roll something else and be safe.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">He dropped the dice and immediately he wanted to kill himself. Satoshi apologized as Gou’s piece ended up on the Pokémon League space.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“No...” he denied. “That’s... that’s...”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“4000 currency please,” Burnet said, taking hold of the dice in her hands.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“But...” Gou scrambles to grab his cash and realized that due to the upgrades and the two completed sets, he was short 2700. He was going to lose!</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Satoshi shouted “Riolu!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Riolu jumped from its hiding spot. It quickly grabbed the dice from Burnet’s hands and ran around the table.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“What the fu-“ before Burnet could finish her curse, Satoshi quickly grabbed the dice before she could stop him and threw it as fast as he can on the table. The dice rolled and even knocked over some houses on the properties on Kukui’s side. It ended up as a six- a five and a one. His piece, which was a trophy, ended up on the Pokémon School’s space.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Kukui sighed as he told Satoshi to pay the 6 currency rent.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Both boys cheered and high five’d each other. They were both safe from Burnet’s wrath.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“You May have won this time Gou,” Burnet said as she handed the dice to Kukui. “But I’ll get you next time.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Kukui rolled down past Burnet’s spaces and ended up directly on the Pass Go space. As he collected his 200 currency, Burnet picked up the dice and rolled a nine, the property before free parking. Gou rolled a five, and ended up paying 200 currency to property taxes. He also decided to get two houses on each yellow property. Satoshi rolled and ended up on Akala’s Boat Dock- the property Gou has just given him. Kukui rolled an eleven and ended up on Burnet’s first purple property: Heahea City. She rolled immediately, earning a glare from the two boys as she voided her own rent charge. She ended up with a ten.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Oh no,” she cursed to herself as she ended up on the last yellow property before jail- the Battle Tree.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Oh don’t worry Professor Bunet,” Gou teased as he hid his hands behind his back, “it’s only 720 currency. It’s not much.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Burnet sighed as she threw him the correct money.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou rolled and ended up visiting Jail. Satoshi rolled and ended up on free parking. Since they played with house rules, Satoshi ended up with 600 currency, since it accumulated from the start of the game.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The group continued playing for about three hours later. At that point, it was only Gou, Kukui, and Satoshi. Unfortunately, he landed on Pokémon League, and that location had four hotels (calculated, it is 16,000 currency due to each hotel costing 2,000 and rent is doubled).</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Give up Gou,” Burnet said as flames started to erupt from her eyes. “There’s nothing you can do to win!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">She was right. She took ownership of all of Satoshi’s properties. That included the one brown, all the boat docks, and his random red that he took from Kukui. Burnet traded the red property to Kukui so that he could have a full set too.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“It’s my reality,” he picked up the dice, “my future,” he started shaking the dice in his cupped hands, “and I can hold that future from the palm of my hand!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou’s dice rolled across the table and it gave him a six.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">He ended up on a chance card, and it told him to pass go.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Burnet and Kukui went their turns. However, Burnet landed on Malie Garden, the space right after jail. At that point, Gou has two hotels on each of his properties, a move he risked all his money for earlier. Now, it was paying off.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“That’ll be 5100 currency please,” Gou demanded.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Burnet angrily threw the money at him, muttering him to hurry up.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou rolled a seven and picked up the get out of jail free card.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Kukui and Burnet rolled again, and this time, Burnet somehow rolled a three.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“That’ll be 5200 currency please,” Gou smiles, teasing the white haired woman once again.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“How-“ Burnet slammed her hands on the table. “How did you-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Before she screamed, Kukui jumped in and simply handed Gou her money. She took a breather as Gou took almost all her cash away from her- minus 350 currency.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou rolled again and somehow rolled a 10. He drew the community chest card and smiled, collecting a 100 from the bank.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Kukui rolled and landed on a chance space. He picked up the card and started crying as he read out loud the dreaded card. “For each house pay 25, for each hotel pay 100.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou quickly counted the hotels available and reported 35 hotels and 14 houses. Kukui paid the 3850 currency to the middle pile, as part of the house rules.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Burnet rolled snake eyes, going forward two spots. She drew from the chance pile, and the card told her to go three spaces back. She did, and drew the community chest card.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“For each house pay 40 and for each hotel pay 115?!??”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">She paid the 4585 to the middle pile.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou rolled and ended up with a three- free parking! As house rules, he inherited the 15,635 currency.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Kukui and Burnet rolled again. Kukui ended up on Gou’s property space-which Burnet voided. Burnet ended up paying 100 for luxury taxes.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou rolled a six and ended up back on his yellow property. Kukui rolled and was now on the community chest past go. He drew and ended up going to jail. Burner rolled and landed on the Melamela island Boat Dock. Gou rolled and ended up on Battle Tree, his own space.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The cycle continued going until Burnet was legitimately bankrupt. She grunted as Kukui and Gou counted up all their money, as the rule of two players being bankrupt was the official ending of the game. Gou has won.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I hate you forever now,” Burnet cursed as Gou ran over to Satoshi, who was asleep by the couch.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I won!” Gou pounced on his boyfriend. “I won I won I won!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Satoshi, who had baby Satoshi beside him, had fallen asleep on the couch with Pikachu next to his head. The pounce ended up waking up Pikachu, who shocked both the boys. Baby Satoshi laughed as the pretty bright lights hit both his uncles.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“It hurts...” Fou muttered. “But I don’t care because I won!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Good job Gou,” Satoshi yawned as he fixed the frizzy hair under his hat. “Let’s go to sleep. It’s getting late.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The family looked at the clock and they realized it was almost 11:30 pm.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Both Burnet and Kukui went up to their bedroom with baby Satoshi as the boys went to their own. As per usual, they took turns to shower and they both ended up in their bed together.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I would have lost big time if it wasn’t for Gengar,” Gou admitted.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Yup.” Satoshi’s eyes were closed, but he still spoke clearly.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I really owe it to him,” Gou said out loud. “Thank you Gengar! Do you have a favorite fruit or anything?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The ghost type Pokémon appeared and nodded. An Apple popped up from its hand and the Pokémon ate it in one swoop.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I’ll get you some apples tomorrow,” Gou promised. “Thank you!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gengar chuckled as it turned the lights off in the bedroom. Both Gou and Satoshi cuddled together, as that night would be the second to last tonight of their Alolan trip.</p><hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Mao knocked on the door three times that afternoon. She missed Satoshi’s second victory over Kukui due to her dad’s cafeteria getting a lot of business. So she wanted to come visit him privately to congratulate him.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">And she also came to apologize to Gou.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Since he admitted that he liked Kaki but denied his feelings to pursue research, she has not spoken to him since. Suiren, Kaki, and Maamane has all spoken to him after the battle, and Gou accepted their apologies. He even hugged Kaki, who was streaming tears earlier.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Before she could get too lost in her thoughts, Professor Burnet and Baby Satoshi answered the door.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Oh hey Mao!” She greeted as she held baby Satoshi to burp. “How are you doing today?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I’m doing great!” Mao smiled. “The restaurant got really busy so I couldn’t make it to the battle! But it was live streamed and everyone at the restaurant was cheering them on! It was so cool!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Who knew Satoshi caught a Dragonite?” Burnet laughed. “Kukui’s face was so gone when he brought it out. It was to die for!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Speaking of Satoshi,” she helped up a paper bag. “I brought some treats for Satoshi and Gou. Can I bring to them?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Go ahead,” Burnet stepped aside. They’re upstairs and last room down the hall.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Mao greeted Professor Kukui who was sitting at the living room couch. In front of him was a play pen with baby toys, so it seemed like the professors were playing with their kid. She ran upstairs and followed Burnet’s instructions down the hall.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Hey Satoshi!” Mao called as she knocked on the wall. The door to the bedroom was open, but she always would knock before entering. “Gou? I brought some treats for you-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">She stopped talking as she saw Satoshi’s and Gou’s legs dangling off the bed. Mao slowly stepped forward and saw that Satoshi was pinning down Gou, and the two boys were going at it with the kisses.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Both the boys had their eyes closed as they mainly focused on their connection. Gou had his hands tangled in Satoshi’s head, enjoying the kiss and letting out small giggles and smiles. Satoshi was being bold as his left hand was being used to support his weight, but his right hand was fixing Gou’s chin in place so that he could hold him against his lips.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Pikachu and Raboot were sitting at the other end of the bed that was closer to the door. They were relaxing and sleeping along the pillows but did a spit-take at seeing Mao. Their loud reaction caused Gou and Satoshi to immediately stop and look over. They both see Mao standing at the doorway holding a white paper bag.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Mao’s face filled with red as she realized what was going on.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I-I’m sorry I- I-“ she turned around clockwise and walked into the wall. “Oops I-“ she dragged herself out of the bedroom and immediately sprinted to the open hallway.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Gou pushed Satoshi off him and immediately got up. Satoshi ended up on the floor next to the entrance of the room.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Wait Mao!” Satoshi lifted his head and called. “It’s not what it looks like!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Both Burnet and Kukui looked at each other, and then looked at the upstairs staircase.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“It’s okay,” Mao assured them as she walked down the hall. “It’s natural that two boys would be doing that in the bedroom and whatnot.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Now, Kukui and Burnet were really concerned with what was going on. Kukui nodded and Burnet quickly dashed to the end of the staircase.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Mao was now slowly walking down the staircase, as she knew she would trip immediately if she didn’t. Gou and Satoshi chased after her, yelling and shouting apologies and “it’s not what it looks like!” And “We were just kissing!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Burnet stood still as she took a deep breath. She firmed her footing and shouted at the top of her lungs. “Children!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Thankfully, Kukui had covered Baby’s Satoshi’s ears.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Mao, Satoshi, and Gou has stopped and ended up tumbling down the stairs. Thankfully, none of them got hurt.</p><hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">After some awkward silences and some awkward conversations, Professor Burnet and Kukui made the three of them talk alone in the bedroom.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Burnet had made the three of them go into the bedroom, and told them that she and Kukui were downstairs if anything were to happen.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Both Gou and Satoshi were sitting on their bed as Mao paced back and forth in the room, processing everything that happened. They both explained their case and told them about everything.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Let me get this straight,” Mao stated. “You two have been dating for six months?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Yup,” they both muttered.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Gou,” she directed, “you lied to Kaki?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“No...” Gou sighed. “I think he’s nice, but he’s not my type. Plus, I’m not wrong with what I said.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“But you said you wanted to pursue research!” Mao reinstated. “What happened to that?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I am pursuing research,” Gou looked over to Satoshi. “It’s just that...” he grabbed hold of Satoshi’s hand, “Satoshi’s doing research with me, and I love every single moment we share together.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Mao was a little angry at them, but she couldn’t bear with knowing how cute that sounded.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Then why didn’t you two tell anyone?” Mao asked, now her voice sounding strained with tears and not anger. “Why didn’t you tell your friends?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Mao has always taken things seriously whenever something like this ever happened. It might be the fact that she still hasn’t fully gotten over her mother, or that she still struggles to read emotions and to feel what other people or Pokémon feel. But it’s still wrong to deceive an entire friend group over one detail.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“We..” Satoshi looked over to Gou and then to her. “We were afraid... and we still are.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Mao stopped her pacing and turned her body towards them.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“What are you two on about?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“We were worried,” Gou chimed in. “We were worried people weren’t going to accept us. You never know... we...” Gou explained the Gallade story that happened six months ago. And as he finished up, the girl in front of him was in tears.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“T-that’s terrible,” she sat down at an open chair. “So you two were worried that... that we’d hate you?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“We didn’t want to risk anything,” Gou replied.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I know I could trust all of you,” Satoshi said. “But I... I didn’t want to risk everything based off what happened over a year ago.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I... I guess...” Mao paused afterwards and then asked. “So... what’s gonna happen now?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“We...” Gou looked over to Satoshi, who looked at him back. “I... I hope you can keep this a secret from everyone else.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Mao got up and gave the two boys a hug. “I will! I’ll keep this to my heart and my heart alone!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">The three kids cried that after noon. Both Burnet and Kukui were glad that the three had made up, but they were more happy about something else:</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">They both thought Gou and Satoshi were about to engage in a recreational activity that involves clothing removal.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Also, Baby Satoshi said “Mama,” as his first words, but the thoughts of Satoshi and Gou engaging in that type of behavior was more prominent in their minds as of currently.</p><hr/><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">As Mamane stuffed his face with the delicious pancakes, the two other friends looked at Mao differently.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Ever since she visited Satoshi and Gou at the professor’s house, she had been acting differently. She still smiled the same... and she was still moving the same... Kaki and Suiren nodded to each other and confronted her.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Okay drop it Mao,” Suiren said to the green haired girl. “What the heck happened yesterday?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Yesterday?” Mao curiously asked. “What are you talking about?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“What happened with Satoshi and Gou?” Kaki asked. “You just… something seems off about you today.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I’m just…” Mao offered a condoning smile, “appreciating more of life recently.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Kaki and Suiren decided not to pester this issue until later on. Maybe next week, when Satoshi and Gou return to Kanto.</p><hr/><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p3">“I… I guess this is it,” Professor Kukui placed his arm on Satoshi’s shoulder. “We had such a phenomenal battle.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“We did!” Satoshi happily replied. “It was epic!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I’m gonna miss you two!” Professor Burnet said as she wrapped her arms around Gou.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I’m gonna miss you too,” Gou replied as he wrapped his arms around the crying professor.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“And I’m gonna miss you the most,” Satoshi boomed baby Satoshi’s nose.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Hey!” Professor Burnet took that to her heart. “I’m right here!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“-But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna miss you regardless,” Satoshi said as he now joined the hug between Gou and Burnet. “I’ll come back soon! I promise!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“And I’ll be with him,” Gou told the two (three with baby Satoshi) “I swear.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Both Burnet and Kukui bursted into tears as they tightly gripped the two boys. The flight attendant called for last boarding, and the group let go. They watched Satoshi and Gou walk down the tunnel to board the plane, and even waited for the plane to take off.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I’m gonna miss those two,” Burnet said as she held baby Satoshi in her arms. “It was so fun to host them at our home.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“I’m gonna miss them too,” Kukui wrapped his arm around Burnet’s shoulders. “I just hope those two don’t get into any trouble.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“They cheated in Monopoly,” Burnet sighed. “They definitely going to get in trouble.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">Kukui laughed. “I wasn’t aware that Satoshi caught a Gengar until our battle earlier. That’s probably how Gou won.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Did you see the earring?” Burnet asked. “How much did you think that cost?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Oh-“ Kukui brushed off the dust off that topic. “I asked. He said he ‘didn’t even look at the price when he bought everything.’”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Wait-“ Burnet let go of the hold and faced him. “Do you mean-“</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“He went to the expense jewelry store in Hao’Oli and bought that.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Oh my god,” Burnet said in realization. “He bought Gou a 150,000 Poke earring?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">“Wait until they realize it’s a Key Stone,” Kukui laughed loudly as he grabbed Burnet’s hand. “But dyed blue.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'll probably post on Tumblr the monopoly game board that I had to create for that part of the story. So go find me there. If I have time I'll post stuff like art and whatnot too. </p><p>Secondly, I really enjoyed seeing the feedback from everyone and I hope I see more of it! I love reading comments and I love receiving feedback! If you want to, roast me below!</p><p>Third, I think Mao has one of the best character development arcs in S/M because of the whole Shaymin/Mother episode. Not that I don't relate to her, but I think I enjoyed writing from her perspective more than everyone else. It's too bad that they didn't dwell on it more and she doesn't end up with a sky-form Shaymin. Speaking of which, sky-form Shaymin hasn't shown up in the anime (other than the movie). Why? Sky-Form is so cool. </p><p>Four, I do not condone using your ghost type pokemon to cheat in monopoly. Please don't. </p><p>Five: the ending 0_0</p><p>Stay safe y'all! </p><p>Negira1239</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Gou and Galar (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Satoshi and Gou are still hiding themselves from everyone else. However, they quickly learn that they still have a lot to learn about themselves.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Long time no see! Hello! If you’re wondering why it’s been so long, let me summarize it very quickly. 1) Finals. 2) I live in a place where rioting took place. 3) Real life stuff.</p>
<p>But let me stop ranting and let you continue. I’ll put more life update stuff in the end notes. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">On the first time day of sleeping in separate rooms, Satoshi and Gou couldn’t sleep. Their minds constantly stirred about the uncertainty of the other, curious and worried about their other’s safety. Eventually, they did get to sleep- but only after 3 hours of rustling around the bed. Thankfully, they still got an adequate 4 hours of sleep before they had to wake up.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi rubbed the back of his head as Koharu and Professor Sakuragi asked if he was okay with the new room. “The bed is still a bit hard so I’m getting used to it.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Sakuragi scoffed at the comment, knowing that they had used Satoshi’s old bed instead of getting a new one. He did understand that sleeping in a new place may be scary, so he shrugged it off.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So what about you Gou?” He asked, turning to the other boy. “What was bothering you last night?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I don’t know how to explain it,” he sighed. “I just started getting dizzy.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Dizzy?” The professor wondered. “What do you mean?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’ve had this stirring in my head,” he replied. “At night my head starts having this headache that doesn’t hurt but it irritates me enough to not be able to sleep.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou had gone to a doctor that day and he got prescribed some weak pain killers (since he was 10) and he also got prescribed some melatonin (in weak dosages). Professor Sakuragi has given them time to recover by allocating them a break, and if they were still feeling ill, then they could take a break for the next day. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">However, Satoshi kept using that same excuse after two weeks. And Gou’s condition seemed to not be getting better. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">They switched out the bed and placed in a brand new bed made of silk, memory foam, and Wooloo wool. Despite having the most comfortable bed out of everyone in the lab, Satoshi still struggled to sleep. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">And Gou was also having sleeping problems too- he couldn’t sleep due to those recent headache that would fill his head. He expressed distress about the random dizziness at night, and it apparently was so bad that he couldn’t sleep even with the prescribed medication. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Eventually, they hired a doctor who had a Musharna to force the two boys to go to sleep. The Pokémon and the doctor kept vitals and record of their sleep, and were surprised to see that they woke up after two hours (instead of the seven they were aiming for).</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Nothing seemed to be working for both Gou and Satoshi. They were being sleep deprived for no reason, and it was really affecting their work ethic and their energy. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Nothing was working until Gou found out about a new app on his Rotom Phone. He quickly installed it on Satoshi’s phone and waited until night. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">At night, after closing their bedroom doors, Gou and Satoshi made their way to the top of their beds. Having bunk beds means they were both at the top, and their Pokémon could take the bottom. On Satoshi’s side, Pikachu, Riolu, and his recent addition of Sobble took the bottom bed. On Gou’s side, Raboot and Axew were there. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi stared at the ceiling with no motivation to sleep. With the recent sleeping problems, he didn’t feel tired at night. He didn’t feel motivated to close his eyes and to calm down. It was weird because he didn’t actually know why this was all happening. All he could think about was the lack of work and effort coming in from him and Gou. With their problems, Professor Sakuragi had stopped them from going on big adventures and had them observe local projects. While that on its own wasn’t a bad thing, it really took away the opportunity for him and Gou to really... talk to each other. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">They did talk on a day to day basis. They saw each single day. But it didn’t feel the same now because the local projects and the sleep deprivation had steered them away from each other. It was really sad to see that their bond was now dying slowly; what started out as inspiring the other to achieve their dreams became basic conversations with common answers and commands. It died down from the pursuit of happiness and research to the basic conception of reality. What happened to all the mystery and all the uncertainty in life? It was slowly disappearing out of Satoshi’s life before he knew it. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi turned to his left and placed his palm on the wall. He knew Gou was just behind that wall, facing him with his palm extended to where his was. He was really sad that the light sounds of snoring were gone, the presence and aura of another human being in the same room as him were missing. Now, he slept alone with his Pokémon, hearing only squeaks and light breathing from the Pokémon below his bunk.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hey Satoshi?” A light raspy whisper announced out of nowhere.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What the-“ Satoshi shot up from bed and looked around. No one else was in the room next to him. The lights were off and the illuminating lights of the moon were the only strings lighting up the bedroom. He looked around and made sure that the only person in the rock was him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Satoshi?” The voice called again. It was soft, uncertain, and very familiar sounding. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The boy picked up his Rotom phone and was about to unlock it but it played a sound. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You there?” The phone asked him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“R-Rotom?” Satoshi called to his phone. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Press and hold the screen and talk back. I can’t hear you.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi did as the voice commanded. He tapped and held his finger on the screen, and the point of contact on the screen had a green circle appear around it. The green of the circle slowly disappeared going counter clockwise; the bar was slowly diminishing. “H-hello?” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">He let go of the tap and the circle disappeared, making another animation of it being sent. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“It’s me Gou!” The voice introduced himself. “I installed a walkie talkie app on our phones!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou!” He replied and tapped his finger again. Satoshi started to laugh at the realization of what was going on. “I’m so glad it was you. I was starting to think I was going crazy.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You doofus of course it’s me,” Gou scoffed. “How are you holding up in your room?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I can’t sleep,” Satoshi sighed. “I miss you here with me Gou.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">There was a slight pause before Gou replied. “I know... I missed you too.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I want to go back to our room,” Satoshi said as he shifted himself so that he was facing the wall that lead to Gou’s room. “I miss you.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I miss you too,” Gou sighed. “But we can’t risk exposing ourselves. They moved us because our parents think we’re getting hormonal.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I still don’t get what that means.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Doesn’t matter,” Gou sighed. “We can’t draw more suspicion on us if we ask to move back together.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi groaned in protest without holding his finger on the phone. He then replied, “I hate that you’re right.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I hate that I’m right too,” Gou sighed, and then shifted his spot in his bed. “Hey... Satoshi?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hmm?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Do you feel tired?” Gou asked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“A little bit now...” Satoshi smiled. “What about you?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I... I don’t feel a headache right now...” Gou pulled the blanket over him and got comfy wrapping himself. Still holding Rotom phone with his right hand, he then asked. “I really like hearing you speak... you know?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I know that feeling,” Satoshi said as he stared directly up at the ceiling. He could feel his subconscious loosening and his body slowly relaxing to the bed. “I feel so comfy knowing you’re here with me.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m not there with you Satoshi,” Gou replied, scrunching up underneath the blanket. “But I feel like I am.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Good night Gou.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Good night Satoshi.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two boys actually feel asleep after that. That was the first night in 16 days that they managed to get over 8 hours of sleep. They two boys reported energetically to Professor Sakuragi, who was really surprised to see this new burst and change. He congratulated them on getting over their sleeping inquiries and delegated a new task to them. Needless to say, they followed through, and continued this pattern. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Every night the two boys would talk with the Rotom walkie-talkie app until they grew comfortable and tired to sleep. And they kept it up since then, with no one suspecting a thing. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Koharu was a bit suspicious at the sudden insurgence of sleep from the two of them, but she didn’t look into it. Professor Sakuragi had asked them how they did it, and the two boys replied with an unsure answer. They shrugged it off and the issue wasn’t brought up again. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">However, Professor Sakuragi did catch that they both had a new walkie-talkie app on their Rotom phone. Instead of asking why they had it, he realized the potential in it and got that same app downloaded in everyone’s phones. Now, the laboratory was filled with walkie-talkie static, as phone calls often dropped due to their poor connectivity. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The first day back from Alola, Gou and Satoshi immediately went to check on the Gallades. They’ve been checking on them everyday when they feed the Pokémon, but they only periodically checked on them in terms of well-being. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two Gallades had befriended almost every Pokémon in the park. The two would always stick side by side, and it was rare that you would never see one without the other. Some Pokémon- particularly the females- always saw the interaction as cute, as they would giggle and smile whenever they weren’t watching. And that same thing could be said about Gou and Satoshi- the pokemon always saw them joined at the hip, so they always assumed that they were really close. Of course they never actually found out how close they truly were, but they had some idea. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“How are you today Gallades?” Gou asked the two Gallades standing in front of him. The two Pokémon stayed nearby the Golurk that overlooked the whole park. They had their own little home together, which was a tree with wife branches for them to sleep on, and they were positioned next to Zen mode Darmanitan. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two Gallades responded happily, both seeming chipper and happier by the second. Gou looked at their tree and wondered exactly how they slept comfortably on tree branches all the time. He made a note to ask Professor Sakuragi if it was possible to get them a hammock of some sort.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">After returning from Alola, Gou was more or less excited to see everyone. He had missed his Pokémon in Alola and he couldn’t wait to go around the park and to give everyone a hug (or at least a high five). </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gallade!” Satoshi’s shiny Gallade asked, probably asking where the boy was.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“He’s on his way over,” Gou replied. “He got up later so he’s eating breakfast now.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The Gallade nodded a reply and turned to his friend, which Gou taught. The other Gallade looked over to Gou, and noticed the new accessory on him. With his blade-like arm, he tapped the little plug on his ear. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I got my ear pierced in Alola,” he explained. “Satoshi bought me an earring so I had to get this pierced so I can wear it.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">He showed a picture of the earring to the Gallade on his Rotom phone, and his Gallade was so happy. The Pokémon cheered and ran around in circles, shouting and cheering loudly and proudly. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“G-Gallade?” He asked, watching the psychic fighting type run around him. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gallade Gallade!” His Gallade begged. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You... you want to come with me?” He asked. “Wh-what’s going on?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Ga- Gallade!” The Pokémon stood next to Gou, but a little bit away. Raboot saw the distance and nodded, approving the Gallade to follow. Gou didn’t realize this, but Raboot has claimed ownership of being his sole partner Pokémon. Any other Pokémon that would follow him would be a second, so Gallade was doing that by walking on the other side, but further away. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Fine...” Gou sighed. “You can come with me...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The Gallade cheered loudly, earning a pat on the back from his friend. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Oh,” Gou looked over and saw Satoshi now entering the garden. “Maybe you can join Satoshi? That way you’re not alone here.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">As Satoshi spotted Gou and ran over, the shiny Gallade realized what Gou meant and now was running to Satoshi. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gallate?” Satoshi asked, noticing how close his Pokémon was standing next to him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Ga ga Gall!” the Gallade asked. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You... you want to come with me?” Satoshi asked. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“The Gallades seem interested in joining us,” Gou said as he and his Gallade walked over. “For whatever reason.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m down!” Satoshi gave his Gallade a hug, and the Pokémon returned the hug back. “It’s never a bad thing to have too many friends!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">And so, the Gallades had joined their adventures. The two boys, being trailed by a Raboot and a Pikachu, were now being trailed by two Gallades. They walked around the gardens and the laboratory, allowing the Gallades to get used to traveling and exploring. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So what are you two doing today?” Professor Sakuragi asked as he lifted his mug to his mouth. He slowly drank his tea as he observed Satoshi and Gou entering the lab meeting room with the two Gallades following them. The two psychic and fighting type pokemon looked around curiously around the laboratory; being their first time inside such a technological facility, the two Gallades stayed close to their trainers. In fact, the non-shiny Gallade hid behind Gou as the shiny Gallade stood close between the other Gallade and Satoshi. Ironically, both Satoshi and Gou are around 4 and a half feet, so the two 5 foot tall Gallades looked like worried teenagers in comparison to them. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gallade wanted to come with us,” Gou smiled, wrapping his arm around his pokemon. Gallade felt his arms being squished into his body as Gou wrapped him in a half tight hug. The pokemon blushed as he nodded in agreement. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Well look at you four!” Chrysa said, admiring the expanded group. “You all look so cute!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Thanks Chrysa!” Satoshi smiled at the researcher. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Actually,” Professor Sakuragi set his cup down and alluded the group to the monitor. He quickly typed a command into the keyboard and the computer started processing the new information. On the display system, several screens popped up, displaying groups of Grimer and Muk roaming around Vermillion City. Several of these Pokemon could be seen blocking traffic, clogging up sewer drains, and were bothering random civilians. “There’s been an increase of Grimer and Muk in the city. Normally, they would live in the sewers or in the forest. But for some reason, they’re raiding the city and they’re disturbing the public.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Grimer and Muk?” Gou brought out his Pokedex, and searched up the Pokemon. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Grimer. The sludge Pokemon. Poison type. Made of congealed sludge. It smells too putrid to touch. Even weeds won’t grow in its path. Muk, the sludge Pokemon. Also poison type. Smells so awful, it can cause fainting. Through degeneration of its nose, it lost its sense of smell.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“All of these entries just talk about the smell…” Gou said as he put away his Pokedex. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So what should we do?” Satoshi asked the boy and the professor. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We should find the source of the Grimer and Muk,” Gou said, rubbing his chin as he observed the images on the screens. “Maybe we can trace the source by looking at the damage and going backwards?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Not a bad idea,” Professor Sakuragi commented. “Perhaps it’s good that the Gallades join you. Their psychic type might be useful against the poison types outside.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Great idea!” Satoshi said as he immediately ran out the door. Shiny Gallade followed behind his trainer, leaving Gou’s Gallade with Gou. The Gallade looked at his trainer, unsure if he was supposed to follow behind him. Gou sighed and waved everyone good bye before running after Satoshi.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Oh Arceus-“ Gou immediately clung his nose shut as he saw several Muks eating out of garbage dumpsters. They were now into the city, having just walked about three minutes away from the lab. Traffic was slowly being halted and Officer Jenny and some volunteers were trying to allow some Grimer to cross the street safely. The locals and their Pokémon were mostly hiding indoors, most of them disgusted by the odors and sight of the poison type Pokémon outdoors.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I forgot how bad they smelled!” Satoshi laughed loudly as he clung his nostrils shut. “How are you doing Gallade?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two Gallades were also trying to not let the smell affect them. They seemed more in pain than both Gou and Satoshi, and it may have to do with the fact that the Gallades were emotionally connected with their trainers. They were inheriting the emotions and feelings of both disgruntled Satoshi and Gou. Not to mention, their long hands holding their noses shut had left them open for attacks, something that bothered them as well. The shiny Gallade let out a disgruntled noise, indicating their dislike of the situation.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Let’s find some clues quickly,” Gou rationed. “So we can get out of here quickly.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two Gallades agreed immediately and followed Gou. Unbeknownst to Satoshi, however, a Grimer was slowly coming out of the manhole cover near him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou turned around just in time as the Grimer saw the nearby trainer. “Satoshi!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The non shiny Gallade let out a psycho cut, hitting the Grimer head on. It let out a roar before sliming back into the man hole. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Thanks Gou,” the boy thanked the others. “Thanks Gallade.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">They both nodded and ran over to a nearby officer Jenny. Currently, she was in the middle of communicating to the other officers with her communicator about the situation around her. She was recording the emptiness of the streets, minus the Grimer and the Muk exploring the streets, when she spotted the small group of six.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You kids better be out and about for a reason,” she told the group. “The City counsel decided to have all civilians indoors until further notice, unless you have documentation.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Documentation?” Satoshi asked, unsure of what that word meant.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Professor Sakuragi sent us out to help find the source of all these Muk and Grimer,” Gou said, pulling out his smart phone to display the document Professor Sakuragi has given them. Officer Jenny lifted her communicator and hovered it around his phone. Her communicator dinged positive, indicating the document to be legitimate. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Just had to make sure you two weren’t lying,” she said as she put her communicator back in her bag. “There are way more Muk and Grimer around than usual. But we can’t legally move them due to Pokémon conservation laws.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Pokémon conservation laws?” Gou asked. “They’re endangered?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Most cities are now turning to cleaner energy and renewable resources,” Officer Jenny pointed to a Grimer looting a trash can. “Because of these new environmentally friendly changes, Grimer and Muk have been known to be lower in numbers. Alola has the same problem with their variants.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou lifted his phone to read more about this, and the Pokédex confirmed it. Rotom informed him of the Pokédex entries alluding to their lowering of numbers.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So what can we do to get them back home?” Satoshi asked. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We have to find their home first,” Officer Jenny told the group. “We have some reports that the Grimer and Muk were coming out of the sewers... do you two think you’ll be alright?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou realized that she was basically requesting that they go into the sewer. “Are you insinuating that we-“ </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We’ll do it!” Satoshi cheered loudly, cutting off Gou.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I hate you.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“No you don’t~”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Yes, I do.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“No you don’t! OwO”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Don’t you owo me!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“It’s OwO not owo,” Satoshi corrected. “Get your OwO’s and your owo’s separate.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou sighed loudly as he and Satoshi walked down the dark sewer tunnel with one Gallade in front and one Gallade in the back. Thankfully, the front Gallade was Satoshi’s, and his Raboot was kicking a rock up and down to illuminate the pathway. They were supplied with a Galarian Koffing from Officer Jenny, a temporary ally to help them combat the horrid smells and toxins.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The six of them (Koffing makes it seven) slowly walked down the sewer path for what felt like miles. Throughout the adventure, they could see Grimer and Muk passing through the sewer water, swimming past them towards the city. Officer Jenny had informed them that they were trying to figure out where they were going, and that they were tasked to find where they were coming from.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I hate that I love you,” Gou sighed as he clenched his nose tighter and tighter. Despite Galarian Koffin’s efforts to neutralize the gas and air, they could smell the horrid smells coming from the poison type Pokémon. However, Koffin did make the air around them breathable. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Awww,” Satoshi teased. “There’s a lot more of where that came from!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“If you say another OwO, owo, UwU, or uwu,” Gou threatened, “I will push you into the sewer.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi turned to his left and saw the amount of Grimer and Muk inside there. He was the closest to them, something he wasn’t paying attention to on their adventure. He carefully walked closer to Gou, sticking his right hand out so that he can grab Gou’s left. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two Gallade could feel the happy emotions coming from the two boys and they both smiled. It was really cute to see both Gou and Satoshi interact with each other, and every time they did, they could feel their hearts connecting closer together. In fact, both Gallades feel warmth and closeness simply from the hand holding. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">It wasn’t long until they encountered the end of the sewer path. The path opened up to an opening where four different drains were funneling into that sewer drain. The four drains were probably aqueducts or other sweeper drains from higher elevated cities that would send their sewage down the mountain. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi quickly helped Gou and the other Pokémon up and out of the hole before he got hoisted up. At the top, they could see a line of Grimer and Muk slowly jumping into the pool of water below and swim towards the city.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We found where they’re coming from,” Gou said as he took pictures. “Now let’s see who’s sending them down there.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What is that smell?” Satoshi wondered loudly. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What smell?” Gou asked. “All I smell is Muk and Grimer.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“No it’s not a stinky smell…” Satoshi took a sniff, trying his best to filter out the disturbing smells of the poison sludge pokemon and tried his best to smell the new aroma kicking in. It smelled fruity... not natural but artificial fruity. It didn’t have the natural blend of aroma but it had an impactful punch of flavor. “It smells like… a berry?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“A berry?” Gou was surprised to hear this answer. “As in a single type or like… multiple berries?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gallade!” Satoshi’s Gallade pointed towards a couple of bushes that grew various berries in front of them.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Good thinking!” Satoshi said as he dashed over. He quickly grabbed a few samples- oran, sitrus, pecha, chesto, and tomato berry- and smelled all of them. He took his time, making sure he was taking in all of the aroma available from the exterior, the stem that he ripped it off from, and from opening the fruit in half. In all of his life, Gou was surprised to see Satoshi analyze something so carefully. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“It’s a pecha berry!” Satoshi realized. “That smell is a pecha berry!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Pecha berries?” Gou typed into his phone. “Those cure poison. Do you think the Grimer and Muk are running away from the smell of pecha berries?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“It has to be!” Satoshi said as he turned around to face Gou. “I can feel it in my gut! It has to be that!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou sighed as he realized he would now have to trek the trail left behind by the Muk and Grimer. “Okay. Let’s go.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What is that?” Satoshi asked as the two made it to the base of the mountain. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">In the local area, there was a large clearing containing several Team Rocket members and their machinery. Two helicopters were positioned on opposite ends, three tents were set up side by side, and the other side of the clearing stationed a large machine with a propeller slowly rotating around in circles. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two boys and their pokemon stayed behind a bunch of trees as they monitored the area. These members of Team Rocket were different people than the Resort Area, but they had similar uniforms and had similar hair styles. Notably, none of them were the Team Rocket they knew of. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Walking out of the tent was a woman with purple hair and a violet red suit. She had a pair of circular glasses, heels, and a stern and serious look on her face. Gou and Satoshi recognized her as the person in charge last time in Sinnoh. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What’s the status with Operation Pecha?” The woman asked the grunts. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The grunt looked at the graphs on the screen and explained. “Project Pecha is currently successful. The Sludge Pokémon are clearing out of the sewers and forest and are creating havoc due to the pecha berry extract we obtained weeks ago.” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“How’s the crystals?” The secretary asked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Inside the center console was a glass container with several crystals embedded inside. They had a faint hue of purple expelling out, giving off pink and dark blue hints of essence when several sparks engaged with the rock. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“The energy levels are stable,” another grunt answered. “This crystal is doing a good job emitting the pecha berry smell. With the amount of havoc we’re causing, we’re sure that in a few minutes, we would have collected enough data on how to capture Mew.two”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Mewtwo?” Gou wondered loudly. “What is that?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“With how Poke-tarian Mewtwo is,” the secretary said loudly, “it’ll notice the large displacement of Grimer and Muk and it will come here. Once it does, we can use that crystal to capture it.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Capture Mewtwo?” Satoshi wondered out loud. “That’s impossible.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Thanks to this guy,” the secretary brought out a Master Ball, “we will catch Mewtwo for sure.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We can’t let them get away with this,” Gou told the other boy. “I’ll go create a distraction. You go destroy that crystal.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Right!” The two boys broke off with their Pokémon and went their ways.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou quickly dashed into the area with the helicopters and hid behind rage and sturdy tree. With Gallade and Raboot present, he ordered the two to destroy the helicopter propellers. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Thankfully, back at the Lab Gardens, Gallade was tutored by Satoshi’s Gallade to learn more attacks. Since heal pulse and Life dew were healing moves, it decided to learn close combat instead of heal pulse. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Raboot! Use Ember! And Gallade! Use Psycho Cut!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two Pokémon did as they were commanded and they sent the powerful projectiles forward. The fire and psychic type moves collided with the propellers, breaking off one whole propeller off the set of four. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What the hell’s going on!” A grunt said as he and another dashed out the tent. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“That kid blew up the propeller!” The grunt threw out a poke ball and out came a Hypno. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Go!” The other sent out a Golbat.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Use Psycho Cut and use Ember!” Gou said as he looked for another Pokeball. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two Pokémon did as they were commanded and launched their attacks. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Use psybeam!” The man ordered his Hypno. The other told his Golbat to use Air Slash.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The psybeam launched and intercepted the ember and the Air Slashes intercepted the psycho cut. A large explosion of smoke occurred, and that’s when Gou threw out the Pokeball.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Use F L O P!” Gou cried loudly (if you want an actual move, I believe that it’s probably bounce or splash or flail). Suddenly, the ground started shaking as something struck the ground with massive force. A large and orange object launched into the air, clearing almost thirty meters into the air. The Pokémon struck the ground and the opponents’ Pokémon with such force that it was an instant knock out. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The smoke cleared up and there was a large Magikarp sitting on top of a knocked out Hypno and Golbat.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What’s going on?” The secretary looked and saw Gou with his three Pokémon.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Use Ember and Psycho Cut on the other helicopter!” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two attacks were launched forward, flying through the air to the other side of the base. However, they were stopped by a sudden Hyper Beam. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“It’s you again,” the secretary said as the Heidregon floated beside her. “What do you want?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Why are you steering out all the Grimer and Muk?” Gou demanded.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Surround him!” The secretary demanded. And suddenly, there were four grunts standing around him. Gou was trapped in all routes, leaving him with no room to escape. The four brought out their Pokémon, and out came Toxiccroak, Tyranitar, Cacturne, and a Drapion.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The secretary was about to launch an attack, when she realized something. Wasn’t there another boy with him?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Use Dark Pulse!” The four grunts told their Pokémon. Instantly, each Pokémon started charging up a dark pulse. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hold on!” Gou said as he gripped Magikarp. Both Raboot and Gallade did the same. “Magikarp use F L O P!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The Magikarp launched itself and everyone as the Dark Pulses were released. The four beams all intercepted each other, making another smoke cloud of dust and debris. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Magikarp!” Gou screamed as they were coming up to land. “Try to land on Toxiccroak. When we land, Raboot use Ember on the Cacturne! Gallade use Close Combat on Tyranitar!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">As Magikarp landed with the force of a thousand suns on Toxiccroak, Raboot and Gallade took this opportunity to dash out and to attack the two other Pokémon. With the dust from the slam coming up,Raboot launched a powerful Ember at the unsuspecting Cacturne, and the Gallade was able to launch a series of slices and punches at Tyranitar.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gallade use close combat!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Shiny Gallade appeared behind Hydreigon and it launched a powerful close combat. It was a critical hit, and the Heidreigon was immediately down. The secretary growled at Satoshi, who had the Gallade beside him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Pikachu use thunder bolt on the other helicopter!” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Pika...” The mouse Pokémon slapped its cheeks and released its energy. “CHUUUUUUUUUUUUU!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Later that day, Team Rocket was arrested and the poison type Pokémon were migrating back to their homes. Officer Jenny and Professor Sakuragi were able to look into the technology and disabled it from further usage. They also managed to save this technology, as this research was nothing Professor Sakuragi had never seen before.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">However, during the transport to jail, Team Rocket was intercepted and they escaped capture. The transport vehicle for them was destroyed half way to jail, and the members inside all escaped. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">As Gou recollected his thoughts that day, he looked down to the lower bunk. It was still strange not seeing Satoshi below him, despite the fact that it had been a while since they transitioned. Now in the bed was Gallade and Raboot. They both shared the twin size mattress perfectly, and it made Gou smile that Gallade wanted to join him on his adventures. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">He lifted his Rotom phone and pressed the button. “Hey Satoshi? You there?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">There was a moment of silence before he heard a reply. “Roger! Hehehe!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Roger?” Gou replied. “What are you on about Satoshi?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hehehe!” Satoshi snickered. “How’s Gallade doing?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou looked down from his bed and saw the psychic fighting type Pokémon was sleeping happily. Since it was raised in the wild, the most comfort it probably ever had gotten was a pile of leaves or another furry Pokémon. Now, it had a bed of feathers and pillows and it had all sorts of comfortable things. But the one thing that struck out was that Gallade’s right hand was raised to lean against the wall to their right- to Satoshi’s room.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gallade is sleeping well,” Gou replied. “But he’s holding his hand on the wall.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“My Gallade is doing that too,” Satoshi replied. “They can probably feel each other through the walls.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m kind of jealous,” Gou said he held the button. “We couldn’t sleep for almost a month and here they are sleeping instantly.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Well Gou...” Satoshi replied. “We did have the best time of our lives in Alola. Nothing can top that. And now we ruined ourselves for the rest of our lives.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“That’s actually really philosophical smart,” Gou thought about it. “Who are you and what did you do to Satoshi?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Grrr!” Satoshi growled. “You’ll never get me!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You’re next door!” Gou sighed. “You can’t hide forever!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Fine!” Satoshi pouted. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“But you are right Satoshi...” Gou sighed. “We had the best sleep of our life in Alola... until Burnet ruined it for us.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’ll call her tomorrow and let her know that you said that.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Satoshi.......”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two boys snickered quietly as they realized that they had other people in the room with them.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Good night Satoshi.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Good night Gou. I love you.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I love you too...” Gou held the button one last time. “Good night.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou set his Rotom phone down and quickly covered himself before resuming sleep. The Gallade blow him opened its eyes and took a deep breathe, taking in everything that happened that day. The Pokémon was very excited for its future encounters and it’s future days with the boy. It hoped that done day, Gou will be able to Mega Evolve it and it can prove to itself and to the other Pokémon in its original home that it wasn’t just a healer. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">But that story is for another day. Gallade quickly closed its eyes and went back to sleep.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m sending you back to Galar!” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Both Satoshi and Gou froze at the words spoken by the professor. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Wh-what do you mean Professor?” Both Gou and Satoshi asked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We’re done collecting data on the Meowth line!” He cheered. “Thanks to you too, we were able to publish all the findings and we were able to find out that it’s human interaction that drives this Pokémon’s change in environment!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Human interaction?” Satoshi asked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“So why are we going back to Galar?” Gou asked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“We’re going to have you two work on a new project!” Professor Sakuragi alluded their attention to the screen, and brought out a new Pokémon on there. “This is a Galatian Zigzagoon! It’s a normal and dark type. However, there are many rumors that say that Galatian Zigzagoons are actually the original, and that the ones in Hoenn are the ones that changed forms. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I heard of that before too,” Gou said, recalling his past memories of their old trips in Galar. “They said Zigzagoons were imported to Hoenn to counter against the Poochenya.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Precisely,” the professor remarked Gou’s memory. “We want to figure out what made them lose their Dark type, and what made them lose Obstagoon.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">He then gave them the details of the trip. They were to stay in the same hotel as last time, but this time they would be in Galar for five days. This would allow them enough time to potentially spot all three evolutions in the Wild Area, as well as explore as another city.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Spikemouth is well known for two things,” the Professor expressed to them. “They have the first ever dark type gym in any League, and their Gym leader is renowned to be a very popular punk singer.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Why stop by Spike Mouth?” Satoshi asked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Spikemouth,” Gou told him. “Spike-‘myth.’”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“The Gym leader most likely has a Galarian Obstagoon,” he explained. “Plus, I have an acquaintance in Galar that can help you two out.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two boys looked at each other with excitement. This was their first big trip after Alola, and they really missed “the experiences”. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m so excited!” Satoshi exclaimed as he ran towards his Pikachu. “Let’s go to Galar!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Pika Pika!!!” </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Why are we here again?” Satoshi asked Gou as the boy looked through the rack of clothes.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I heard there was a special Arcanine shirt here,” Gou said as he continued skimming through the shirts. “It’s part of a special collection.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two boys were in Wedgehurst’s fashion boutique that day. They had just visited Professor Sonya (and yes Gou did get her autograph for the book she wrote) and were now checking out the boutique before their train arrived. Professor Sakuragi requested that they visit her before starting their research on Galarian Zigzagoons, Linoones, and Obstagoons. Their train was due in an hour, so they decided to go around and shop. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Here it is!” Gou said as he pulled it out. The shirt was white, but it had a very graphical design of an Arcanine in the front. It was sitting in a blue light, roaring flames and creating fires around itself. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“That looks so cool!” Satoshi said as he peeked over.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hmm...” Gou looked at the tag. “Small?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The boy quickly spotted a clerk and waved her over. “Excuse me! Do you have this shirt in a larger size?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Larger?” The woman looked at the shirt, and then at Gou’s torso. “I think we have a medium in the back. I’ll go look for it. In the meantime, why don’t you go try it out in the changing room?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Changing room?” Gou asked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I can tell you two aren’t from Galar,” the clerk stated. “Galar uses a more metric based measuring system for clothing, so it might be different from other regions. Plus, I can see where it falls short or long and if necessary, I can create adjustments!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Competent with the answer, Gou decided to go try it out. Satoshi, Pikachu, and Raboot all sat outside the changing room on chairs and waited Gou to change into the shirt. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m... not sure how I feel.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou?” Satoshi asked. “Is something wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou moved the curtain to the changing room and walked out of the space with the Arcanine shirt on. The shirt fit quite snugly to his body. The length of the shirt was appropriate and it cut off right where his joggers started. The sleeves were short, but were barely passed his shoulders and upper tricep. And the collar of the shirt was short too. Overall, it barely fit and it snuggly hugged him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“It fits,” Satoshi told him. In fact, it fit him too well...</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Oh I see,” the same clerk said as she looked at Gou and his shirt. “I think my coworker sold the last medium earlier, but I can totally see this small fitting you!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Actually...” Gou rubbed his arms together and looked into the mirror. “I’m not gonna get this shirt.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi gave the boy a worried look as Gou quickly dashed into the changing room. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi eyed Gou the whole time until they got onto the train. Thankfully, they were able to get their own little room as they made their way to their next destination: Hammerlocke. The sun was starting to set as the train was moving through the Wild Area.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Are you okay Gou?” Satoshi asked once the train started to properly move.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m fine Satoshi,” Gou sighed. “What is it?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You were a little sad at the store earlier,” he told the other boy. “The clerk said earlier the small fit you nicely. But the. You got sad and changed out of it.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m fine Satoshi,” Gou said, looking out the window and not into Satoshi’s eyes. “I just... have... some issues.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Issues?” Satoshi wondered. “What kind of issues?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou quickly changed topics. “Are you excited to see Champion Leon again?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi quickly smiled and started talking to both him, Pikachu, and Raboot about how excited he was to see the champion. He devised a new strategy against his Charizard, and was pumping himself up with Pikachu in hopes to be able to take him down. Most of the train ride, Satoshi filled up the silence with talking and creating sound effects. Gou laughed at the absurdities and simply listened in to what he said. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">It wasn’t long until they were almost there that Gou decided to go use the restroom. He left the booth and quickly went into the single laboratory. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Inside the single laboratory was a sink, a toilet, a changing station, and a large mirror. To accommodate kids and tall adults, each restroom was equipped with a mirror that stands from 2 feet to 7 feet. It was similar to a full body mirror, minus the fact that it started two feet off the ground. The mirror itself was wide and long, having a string of lights along its rectangular shape. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou stared at himself in the mirror. He was average height, so his head cut off nearing the halfway point of the mirror. Maybe he took over 60% of the mirror with his hair. The boy rotates his torso back and forth, looking in the mirror to see how his body is displayed in the mirror. Without his backpack on, Gou was very skinny looking. He looked like a flat popsicle stick in comparison to other boys his age. He knew that strangers and other people he knew would look at him with strange eyes, wondering how someone like him was still alive and healthy. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">And surprisingly, he is healthy. He always eats, and he’s always hydrated. No eating disorders. No dehydration. In fact, the only thing that he had was a very high metabolism. But other than that, he was completely healthy. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <em>
    <span class="s2">But why did it hurt when he looked at himself in the mirror.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou grabbed the end of his shirt and pulled the fabric out. He watched as the loose shirt that he usually wore become tighter and tighter as he pulled more, bounding the pulled fabric into a little bundle. And as he kept pulling, more horror kept coming in as he realize just how skinny he really was. He ended up pulling about a quarter of the shirt into a bundle, exposing a slight amount of his skin. He could now see his true skinny self, his shirt now actually touching his skin lightly and his figure was now truly outlined. Gou knew how truly skinny he was, but every time he looked at himself it really scared him. He could see his ribs and that freaked him out. He could see his actual veins and the colors of red, and blue (and slight green) at several places on his body. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Before he knew it, tears were now starting to come down his face. He didn’t know why he suddenly started crying. He didn’t know why he suddenly wanted to just fall to the floor and just stop. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">It was painful to go through every day with people staring at him. He could see in his peripheral vision strangers and other people just looking at him with disgust. Thankfully, he was either too young or too deaf to hear what they say, but it was never positive. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">In all honesty, that was also one of the reasons he shut himself out from the world. That was one of the reasons he was okay with staying home and doing ‘research’ on Mew. That was one of the reasons why he wanted to drop out of school.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou quickly took a deep breath- he searched up forums on how to deal with reoccurring memories and trauma and it suggested deep breathing meditation- and slowly breathed the air out of his breath. He was still shaking horribly, his hand that held the bundle of cloth on his shirt shaking and his fingers turning purple from the immense grip. And since he gripped it tighter, he could feel the end of the shirt fully grasp around his waistline. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou was a tall boy yes. However each shirt he ever wore was too short in length. That’s why he opted for a larger size. With a medium, the shirt would be at its proper length and nothing would seem out of the ordinary. In fact, he had the shoulders to support medium shirts- it was just his skinniness that made clothing hard. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">In the end, Gou kept himself together. After all, insanity is just repetition while expecting something different to happen. There was nothing that would prosper from him reminding himself how skinny he was. He needed to enact something so that maybe he could become bigger or fatter. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou unclenched the fabric he pulled and quickly straightened it. He washed his hands for twenty seconds and properly dried them (along with his face). Before he walked out, he looked at himself once more in the mirror. In this angle, with his back turned, he didn’t look skinny. But horizontally, you could see everything through. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">He quickly left the restroom and went back to his booth with Satoshi.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You’re back!” Satoshi cheered as Gou sat back down.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Did I miss something?” Gou asked as he sat across from Satoshi.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Pikachu and I were talking about dinner!” Satoshi smiled. “We were thinking about that curry place again! You down?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Raboot?” He asked his Pokémon. “What about you?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The fire rabbit pokemon gave a thumbs up. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Then let’s get some curry!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou was the one to go fetch the curry again. After checking into the same hotel as last time, they got their room and had settled their things in there. The key difference from the room last time was that the room had a balcony behind a screen door. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">They called Professor Sakuragi and sent over their current findings before calling it a day. Satoshi wanted to go shower before dinner, so Gou decided he would be the one to retrieve dinner. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">As he opened the door to their hotel room, Satoshi leapt at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“S-Satoshi!” Gou stuttered as he pushed him and Satoshi into the hotel room. “W-what’s going on?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Pikachu and Raboot has grabbed the curry and immediately went to the desk area to open the take out. They’ve gotten the same curries as last time, but this time instead of sausage they got burger meat (just to try it out). Satoshi wrapped his arms around Gou and started to kiss the boy in more sensitive areas like the lips and the ear lobes. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“S-s-s-Satoshi!” Gou blushed harder than a Pokeball. “W-what are y-you-“</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I love you Gou,” Satoshi whispered into his ear. “I love every single thing about you.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou let out a loud squeak as he felt Satoshi wrap his around his back, his chest connecting with Satoshi’s. Pikachu and Raboot quickly dismissed themselves by walking out on the balcony and shutting the door behind them. To keep themselves company, they also had taken both Gallades’ Pokeballs. But that was unbeknownst to the two boys. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The two Gallades looked around the balcony before finding Pikachu and Raboot sitting along the railing. The view outside of the room wasn’t bad; half of it was the Wild Area and the other half was just mountains and high cliffs. They looked over to the other Pokémon, and Pikachu caught them up to speed. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“P-please Satoshi,” Gou was trembling with fear as he was suddenly on top of Satoshi in bed. The boy had dragged the other onto the fluffy mattress, stuffing him and his face with numerous kisses and smiles. “W-we’re too young for this.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Too young for what?” Satoshi asked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“N-Nothing!” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou,” Satoshi stopped kissing his face and allow the boy to straighten out himself. In this angle, with Gou sitting above his waist, he looked absolutely perfect. His red blushing face matched the red highlights in his hair, and his black eyes shined bright despite its dark tones. Gou’s hair was lightly ruffled up, and his chest was slowly rising and falling due to the sudden activity.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You look beautiful,” Satoshi told the other boy. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou jumped at the compliment, and then looked away. “I look like this everyday Satoshi.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The boy lying on the bed smirked as he lightly caressed Gou’s arm. His hand traveled down from the bicep all the way down to his hand, and he lightly gripped it with his. “Then you look beautiful every day.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou felt uncomfortable at that statement. He continued to stare at something else as he felt his memories coming back to him. He suddenly remembered the countless times he stared at himself in the mirror and just cringed at the feeling. “I-I can’t look beautiful everyday Satoshi.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Each time Gou would look at himself in the mirror, whether it would be topless or not, he would always find himself just as ugly as ever. He would never use the word beautiful positively on himself, because he could just never associate the word with him. Gou would always see something with what he sees in the mirror. He was always too skinny, too feminine, too whatever. There would always be something negative that would never escape his identity, so he couldn’t just sit there and take in the comment.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m not beautiful everyday Satoshi,” Gou muttered. “I’m... not beautiful at all.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou...” Satoshi sighed. “What’s wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“It’s just...” Gou got off of Satoshi’s waist and rolled onto the bed beside him. “I....” the words weren’t coming to his mouth.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Was it the boutique from earlier?” Satoshi asked.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou didn’t want to admit it, but he nodded.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou...” Satoshi wrapped his arm around his boyfriend as Gou started to cry. He didn’t know why, but suddenly the flood gates opened and he couldn’t stop.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I’m sorry...” Gou curled up into a little ball and stuffed his head into Satoshi’s chest. “I sorry that I’m so ugly and skinny and-“</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“What are you talking about?” Satoshi cut him off. “You’re beautiful and nothing less!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Stop lying Satoshi,” Gou sniffled. “I know you’re just trying to cheer me up but...” Gou rubbed his eyes of tears and stared at the boy in front of him. “I can’t help but to think of this and... it makes me sad.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou continued, “I’m really skinny Satoshi. I just have a really fast metabolism. I was born overweight and then I quickly became underweight. My parents told me it was natural for my body to do this because of genetics but... I became really frail. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“People called me a stick for years,” he sighed. “People and their parents would ask if I was starving every day. Even my parents got notices from my teachers asking if I was eating. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have fifteen people watch you eat lunch until you couldn’t anymore- and then they give you more food to eat but you can’t actually eat any more. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“I hate myself for the fact that I can’t eat a lot,” Gou continued crying and talking, “I tried to expand my stomach by drinking a gallon of water before sleeping. I tried not exercising so I can gain far and just not be skinny. I tried a lot of things and nothing worked! And every time I go back to school, people would just tell me how much thinner I was getting. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Even the girls didn’t want to become thin like me. No one wanted to be friends with the thinnest kid in school. They all thought I was malnourished and homeless and weak. I would go to school with more shirts stuffed under mine to make myself look fatter but everyone just...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi didn’t let him continue that tangent and spoke up. “Gou... I...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou hiccuped and lifted himself up. “I’m sorry Satoshi if I offended you or anything.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou wait-“ Satoshi grabbed his arm and Gou immediately tried to pull back. But it wasn’t Satoshi’s arm or his strength that made him stop. It was the fact that Satoshi could wrap his hand around Gou’s wrist and his thumb and index finger could touch. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Let go!” Gou pulled harder and Satoshi flinched at the screech. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">The room slowly filled with silence as Gou realized what he’s done. He slumped down the side of the bed and ended up sitting on the floor. His face was flooded with tears as he realized what he had done.</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Satoshi silently got up and sat down beside Gou. Instead of wrapping his arm around the boy, he placed his right hand on Gou’s left knee. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">With a shaky breath, Gou looked over to the boy next to him. Satoshi still had those determined eyes and he still had that determined smile. He still looked just as confident, but why? “Satoshi...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou I...” Satoshi paused and took a deep breath. “I couldn’t even imagine that sort of thing happen to me. You’re right. I can never know how it feels to be bullied for skinniness and whatnot. But... I want to know that you feel sad about it and I want to know what I can do to make you feel better.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Gou gulped as he realized what the boy next to him said. “Satoshi...” </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Gou...” Satoshi’s hands on Gou’s knee was slowly dropping down, allowing the hand to fully assess the thickness of Gou’d thigh and femur. “I love you, and J love everything that you are. I love how you look and I love how you are. I love your ambitions and I love being your friend. I love your love of Pokémon and I love how much you care about me. I just... want you to love you for being you, because I love you just the way you are.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">”And I always thought you looked cool! I mean the first time I saw you we were trying to climb on Lugia but that still doesn’t change anything. I knew you were as crazy as me when you jumped on, and I knew you love Pokémon as much as I did when we battled Team Rocket for the Venusaur. Gou... Nothing you do will make me love you less because I know who you truly are. You are,” he moved in front of Gou and quickly kissed his left cheek, “Sweet,” he kissed the other, “Caring,” he kissed his forehead, “Kind,” he kissed his nose, “selfless,” and he paused before the lips. “And you are perfect food who you are and I will never ask you to change that.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Instead of Satoshi moving forward, Gou did. The two boys connected lips as they sat on the floor of the hotel room. It has been a while since they felt this, but they could feel time slowing down once again. They could feel space distortion itself and they could feel the universe pausing just for them to have this moment. Gou and Satoshi felt powerful and full of life as they deepened the bond, and empowered the connection. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Pika pika!” Pikachu covered his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Raboot sighed as he did warn the Pikachu before hand. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Both Gallades were sitting and leaning against the railing with tears in their eyes. Since they were emotionally connected with their trainers, they could feel every single emotion that coursed through both of them. They could feel the heart break, the anger, the resentment, and the finale of the kids. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">As Satoshi let go of Gou, he lifted him up by wrapping his arms around his waist. He hoisted the other boy up and connected them with a hug. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“You’re not that skinny Gou,” Satoshi smirked. “I hugged skinner guys before. You’re perfect.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Hold up.” Gou stepped away from his boyfriend and looked at the Pokémon coming into the hotel room. “What are you on about?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">Pikachu thought about it, and realized that Satoshi was referring to Gladio, back in Alola. However, he didn’t let out a single peep as Gou quickly swatted Satoshi at the back of the head. Even Raboot kicked his ass, for hurting his trainer in that sense. </span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">
  <span class="s2">“Thank you Satoshi,” he whispered to himself as Satoshi rolled around the floor in pain. “You have not idea how much you changed me for the better.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hehehe the *we’re too young for this* part ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) </p>
<p>In all seriousness, they’re kids and I rather not be a pedophile. Please note that they’re like 10-11 in the anime.</p>
<p>Anyways, keep with me on tumblr, because that’s where I started posting things like Rants about the new episodes. And if you like what I write, talk to me! I love talking to people and I would love to hear input! </p>
<p>Also, F L O P. Is that bounce? In the game they call it jump. Idk.</p>
<p>One more thing: I have more stuff coming out soon. I have a lot of stuff in stock it just hasn’t been completed! Expect something soon!</p>
<p>Negira1239.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Gou and Galar (Part 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This chapter mainly focuses on one story line: phone calls with the moms!</p>
<p>Also, minoring debuting Piers because I don't exactly have plans for him yet? </p>
<p>And finally, the return of Bob's Your Uncle!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! This upcoming chapter is about 10k characters, and this was what I primarily worked on while doing finals and stuff during my 2-3 week hiatus. I hope y'all enjoy!</p>
<p>Also, I do make some jokes about certain things, so umm... be warned.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p3">
  <em>
    <strong>In Kanto, Sakuragi's Laboratory in Vermillion City</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3">“So are you eating all your vegetables?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Yes mom...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Are you doing your laundry everyday?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Yes mom...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Are you looking out for yourself?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Yes mom...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi stood outside of the lab’s front entrance holding his Rotom phone adjacent to his ear. For the past seven minutes, Satoshi had been talking to his mother over the phone. He was about to go down to the gardens to check on the Pokémon when he realized it had been a few days since he checked up on his mother. He decided to call, unbeknownst of what’s to come.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Are you washing your underwear?!?!” She asked with more demand and sternly.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Yes mom!” Satoshi sighed as he realized the past four minutes was him saying ‘yes mom.’ He wanted to say other words but she wasn’t really giving him an opportunity.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Actually,” she said, standing up from her spot from the couch. She reached over the coffee table and picked up her tablet. “I just saw in the news that Serena won a special Pokémon Contest!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“She did?” Satoshi asked, now gaining interest to his friend from Kalos. “Where did she win at?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“She won the special contest that was held in Mossdeep apparently,” his mother scrolled down the webpage displaying her win with her Pokémon . “She seems like such a fine lady Satoshi. Oh how I remember back in the day at Professor Oak’s annual camping trips.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You remember Serena?” Satoshi asked. “From the back then?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Of course dear,” she said as she opened a new tab. “Her mother and I used to be friends back in the day. She moved to Kalos after her career in Rhyhorn racing took off. But she took Serena here as a kid and we were able to reunite!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That’s awesome mom,” Satoshi replied.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I also remember someone having a certain crush on her,” she mischievously added in. “Sooooo,” she teased, “what’s been happening to you Satoshi?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi paused in the call as he felt his face redden up like a tomato. The last time he thought about Serena was the flight back to Kanto from Kalos. She had left a big impression on him and he could never forget it- she took his first human kiss and just left him hanging. In fact, that kiss made him think for the first time ever if he really did like girls.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">And it’s not to say that none of the girls he traveled with weren’t attractive or funny or had good personalities or whatever. None of them really made his heart go pop or stop. Serena might have with the escalator kiss and Latias just straight up confused him. But everything changed when he first met Gou. Gou made him realize a whole new side of him that he hasn’t really explored before. Kanto and all the way to Kalos, he was just doing gyms and leagues and never won anything. Alola was different but he felt more like home there. But Gou... and the adventures they had so far, he would never trade it away because those were honestly some of the best adventures of his life.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Before Gou, he would have never learned about Beautifly migrations, Champion Leon, Gigantamaxing, Dragonite, and so many more things. Ever since he started doing research with Professor Sakuragi, he honestly had been happier with Gou. And their relationship together was only pushing that threshold higher.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I...” how was he supposed to respond to his own mother? “What do you mean mom?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m surprised Satoshi,” his mother giggled. “After so many adventures and journeys that you haven’t gotten a girlfriend yet.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Oh...” Satoshi’s heart that had been beating fast and happily from the memories he had just thought up was now tumbling to the ground. It sunk faster than the Titanic and it wasn’t stopping anytime soon.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Should I call her mother and ask to set up a play date?” His mother suggested. “Or maybe we can-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“It’s okay mom...” Satoshi sat down at the stone steps of the building and looked out on the view of Vermillion City. The city was now transitioning to hotter weather once again. The nearby stores and homes were now opening their windows, allowing the warm air to flow in and fill up the area. The skies were also becoming clearer and clearer, as a small overcast of clouds had just passed. Satoshi took the view into memory, enjoying each bit of it as he can feel Pikachu leaning against his side. “We’re just friends Mom. Nothing more.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“But nothing less right?” His mother confirmed. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind your company once again.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi considered that thought. She was right about that. Serena wouldn’t have minded to see him again. Knowing her, she wouldn’t have minded to travel with him again. But there was a reason why they all separated. It was the end of Satoshi’s Kalos saga, and it was the end of Serena’s Kalos saga. Their journeys would carry on to new regions and their dreams would carry them elsewhere. Sure they were friends, and maybe one step above that due to the kiss they shared, but friends should only help each other progress their goals, not derail them. If they crossed paths again, then they do. But they shouldn’t force themselves to do so. Not to mention, the two of them should be planning out their rendezvous, not his mother.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“She probably wouldn’t,” Satoshi admitted. “But mom...” He sighed, “Please don’t set me up with someone. I’m happy with where I am right now.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Wow,” she remarked his sudden attitude. She wasn’t angry, but was surprised to hear this sort of tone from him. It seems that his son was maturing up to his actual age and not acting like a five year old. “Gou Is really doing something to you. You’re taking in his mature habits and responsibility! I’m so glad that Gou is with you!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi paused, making sure he heard that sentence right. He replayed that exact sentence and tone in his mind to make sure his mother wasn’t insinuating that Gou was with him in a relationship, but that Gou had been with him enough to teach him good habits as close friends. “Heh- yeah definitely. Gou taught me a lot about being proper and stuff if that’s what you’re wondering.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And I’m glad he did!” His mother smiled. “I have to thank him personally one day. Where is he now?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi thought about it, trying to recall when was the actual last time he saw the other boy. “Umm… I think he’s already at the garden waiting for me. He usually feeds his Pokémonat this time.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That’s splendid!” His mother put her tablet down and stood up. “I should let you go back to your job. Gou shouldn’t be by himself feeding his what? 50 Pokémon ?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Yup!” Satoshi chuckled as she actually got the number spot on. Surprisingly, after Kalos he would have fifty Pokémoncaught (51 if white Flabebe was caught). “I’ll see you mom!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Goodbye!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi hung up the phone call and sighed loudly. Truth be told, this was the third call that his mother brought up Serena recently. The other times before were simply coincidences and unintentional. But the first two times were somehow selectively brought up. His mother was dusting his room and saw his Kalos league semi-final award. The other time she found the hat he wore throughout Kalos. He didn’t know how to react every time she brought up Serena. For one thing, he wasn’t attracted to her physically, he was attracted to her for her ambitions to follow her dreams and to find purpose in her life. But as she continuously brought her up, he was beginning to like her less and less (sorry Serena).</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">He sighed loudly for the umpteenth time within the three minutes of sitting on the steps. Pikachu sat beside him in silence, knowing that his trainer needed the quiet atmosphere to simply process what was happening. The last time he was like this, he had been conjuring a plan for Leon. But now there he was, sitting in that silence with that dumb expression on his face, thinking about someone he met two regions ago. Pikachu pulled his arm and reminded Satoshi that he had work in the garden.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">After feeding his Pokémon , Gou had received a text message from his parents. They had just finished a big project and were now allocating themselves two hours to relax and to get lunch before they began their next project. Since they owned their own company, they could do whatever they want. He was thankful that they asked if he was busy, and if he could call them. Gou let them know that he would free in a bit, and he would call them.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou excused himself from Satoshi and the other researchers and went to his bedroom for the call. Before, it was awkward that Satoshi would be in the same room as him as he called his parents. But now that he had gotten his own room, making phone calls were easier. Although he hated being in separate rooms, there was one benefit to having his own room.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey mom,” he asked. “Hey dad.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey Gou!” His parents greeted together. The two of them were having lunch and were sitting side by side as they had their son on speaker. His mother spoke out first. “Gou! I have some exciting news for you!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“News?” He leaned against his desk as he held the phone up close. Raboot was also in the same room and decided to sit on the bottom bunk bed. “What news?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Our next big project is for Mr.Masahiro,” she explained. “We’re gonna help with the development team for the new PokémonUnite game!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou recalled that the new MOBA Unite game actually received a lot of bed rep. Within a day of its released, it quickly became Nintendo’s most disliked premiere presentation. Not to mention, people were skeptical about the game being made by a Chinese company that has been affiliated with the Chinese government. But that last part was really rumors, and from what he seem, there has seemed to be a population of people who were really excited about the game. </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And guess who’s joining us?” His father popped in.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Umm-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Mashino san!” Both parents cheered loudly.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Oh great. It was Mashino san- the father of Nemuri, the girl that had a crush on him back when he went to school. He had forgotten about her truth be told. After he dropped out of grade school to pursue Pokémon research, he slowly began forgetting about the people he did interact with. He forgotten all the teachers names and their antics, as well as their appearances. But Nemuri was special aside from Koharu. And it was because Nemuri was actually the first person ever to elicit feelings to the boy. However, he “turned her down.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Turning her down” meant “completely ignoring her and was focusing on the whiskers Rattata had” in this complex. Yup. Koharu told him afterwards on their way home.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Yay...” he lightly cheered, but made sure to actually put enough expression into it. Raboot seemed skeptical of the “yay” but shrugged it off.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“They’re paying us a lot of money to work together to help it build across other servers,” his father said. “I guess they just want the game to run well and smoothly.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That’s cool,” he commented. “Anything you can tell me?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">His mother joked, “About the game or Nemuri?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou was not laughing. Instead, he just remained silent as his parents started giggling and making inside jokes like they were ten year olds.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">And it was expected. Nemuri had told her dad about the confession and somehow declared it her goal to confess to him properly. She started doing stuff Gou liked doing- like watch Pokémon and engage with doin research. Her parents watched in amazement as she started watching Professor Oak’s documentaries about the world of Pokémon, and not ask for help for big words that they brought up. But by the time she was ready, four years(ish) had passed and Gou had dropped out by then.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m assuming there’s a confidentiality agreement in your contract,” Gou said to change topics back to the MOBA Unite game. “But is there anything you guys can tell me?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Ooo Goh,” his father sighed. “There isn’t much we can tell you because we barely got assigned at the meeting. Even Mashino san got the news later than we did.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Ahh,” Gou understood. “How long is the contract for?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“It’s a six month contract,” his father answered. “With a possibility for extension. They just want to see how the game plays out first.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I see.” Realizing that the bad press most likely affected the length of their contract. But then again, most MOBA servers die off due to the drop of players after day one, so it would be expected that they don’t need that many to begin with. “Does that mean-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You know,” his mother interrupted his question, “Mashino san said that he didn’t know you dropped out to pursue research under Professor Sakuragi. He was so surprised to hear that that he even called Nemuri to confirm!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“...great...” Gou said with a light volume and with his back straight. Raboot could sense the boy’s unease and walked over to him. He jumped up the desk so that he was nearing Gou’s armpit height and waved at him. Gou realized what he was doing and put the phone on speaker. “Raboot’s here! Say hi!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey Raboot!” Both parents greeted.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Bi bii!” The rabbit Pokémon replied.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Now that I think about it,” his mother redirected, “I think Mashino san said that her first Pokémon was a Litten! Aww it’s so cute how you two started off with fire starters!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">As his mother cheered with glee, his father continued with the conversation.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Are you watching over Gou Raboot?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Rab bi!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Phew,” his father happily sighed. “It makes me happy to see Gou have a Pokémon to watch over him for us. We can’t always check up on him you know? So it’s nice to know that Gou is safe at all moments. Thank you Raboot.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Raboot gleamed with praise as Gou father continued complimenting the rabbit. Gou chuckled as he saw the fire rabbit Pokémon stutter back a mere thank you, the Pokémon too blushed and shy to provide a professional response. In the end, it shouted a somewhat loud thank you and handed the phone to Gou. The Pokémon jumped off the table and went back to the bed, where it sat in isolation. Raboot’s ears dropped over its cheeks as it curled up in a little ball. It was overloaded with embarrassment and it just needed a moment to cool down.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey Gou,” his mother asked. “Mashino san just messaged me asking if you wanted to join us for lunch some day. He could bring Nemuri along and-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“No thanks mom,” Gou interrupted. “I’m going to be in Galar in a few days and I won’t be back until a week or so after.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That’s a shame,” she sighed. “Nemuri’s on break and you’ll be back after she goes back to school.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Oh no,” he sarcastically sighed. “What a bummer. Hey mom, dad, I have to go...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Oh thank you so much for calling us sweetie!” His mother shouted in the microphone. “You have no idea how happy we are to hear you doing something you love!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And we’re so happy to hear that you have so many friends to look after!” His father praised. “And so many friends to look after you too!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And tell Satoshi we said hi!” His mother added. “He’s always welcome in our home!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The sound of Satoshi at his home, out in the open, sounded like a dream come true. But alas, it couldn’t be. “Thanks mom. Thanks dad. Bye!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Good bye!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou ended the call and took the loudest sigh ever. He leaned back and spreader his arms across the table as he let his Rotom phone drop and float. Talking to his mother about relationship stuff always tired him out for some reason. Whether it be the fact that he had to pretend to be straight, or it be the fact that he has to hide Satoshi (or maybe a combination of both), simply anything involving dating was always such a hassle to deal with.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">He did see why his mother was pushing this girl on him though. Nemuri was realistically his “second female friend” he made while he was in school. At that point, his parents had grown used to Koharu and knew that she was his first and only best friend. But after hearing Nemuri had befriended him and wanted to go the extra step- but got declined harshly- his mother tried her best to at least get him to notice Nemuri before rejecting her. Whether it be a five minute conversation to a flat out no, she wanted to try to set them up at least so that Nemuri would have a real response to her proposal. After all, Gou thought Rattata whiskers were more relevant and important than a love proposal.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">And she was right on the fact that Gou should have given her a proper response. Or that Gou should at least meet up with her at least once to check in on her. But Gou really didn’t want to do that. After dating Satoshi for over six months and for able to hide that from everyone (except from Kukui, Burnet, and Mao), he really didn’t want to see Nemuri. Call it selfishness or whatever, but he just want to talk to Nemuri and reject her.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The boy sighed once more before hearing a loud knock on the door.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gou? You finished?” It was Satoshi. “Professor Sakuragi wants to see us about something.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m done,” he said, pocketing his phone as he opened his door.</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2">
  <strong>
    <em>In Galar, Hammerlocke</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey mom,” Gou greeted as he held the Rotom phone close to his ear. He, Raboot, and the two Gallades were alone in the hotel room, returning from an adventure of watching and observing Zigzagoons and Linoones in the Wild Area. Satoshi, Pikachu, and Riolu had gone out this time to pick up food from a restaurant. “Any developments on the new Unite game?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You’re not gonna believe this,” his mother told him. “Mashino san just told us Nemuri had hatched her first egg earlier!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">He had heard from the previous call that the egg was given to her for her birthday from a cousin that lived in Galar.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That’s cool,” he said nonchalantly. “So how’s dad?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“She hatched a Toxel!” She said, ignoring Gou’s question. “And it’s so cute! It has a little diaper thing!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Okay...” Gou paused, waiting for his mom to calm down from her excessive cheering.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You two should have a little play date or something!” His mother suggested. “When will you have a day off?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou made sure to mute the microphone before sighing loudly once again. There was a reason he didn’t want to see Nemuri. And it was because she didn’t have actual ambitions for researching.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The day after he “rejected her,” Nemuri started cracking down on school and the subject books so that she could understand Pokémon . He did praise her for the fact that her academic scores did go up, but her love for Pokémon didn’t. He watched as she became so absorbed into learning about Pokémon and trying to suffice Gou with her knowledge that she completely forgotten about actually loving Pokémon. Granted, she didn’t hate Pokémon, but she never fell in love with them in the first place. She essentially became a robotic encyclopedia regarding Pokémon. </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Maybe that’s why he wasn’t attracted to Koharu, but then again, maybe he just wasn’t attracted to girls in general? That’s a question for another day. He’s 10.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">When they turned seven, the class had gone outside to the gardens and they found a small Sandshrew outside on the flower beds. Gou being Gou, he quickly ran over to the Pokémon and tried to see what was wrong with it. Sandshrew were known for having dry, hard exteriors, and having excessive moisture on their skin/shell was actually bad for the ground type Pokémon. He quickly spotted the small puddle it was lying down in, and quickly lifted the Pokémon out. It must had gotten stuck in the mud, and too much water was entering its system.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">He put the small Sandshrew on the blacktop of the school playground (next to the gardens) and told his classmates to fetch him a rag and a bucket. His teacher was appalled to see Gou actually having knowledge in this field, and was too shocked to actually do anything. Koharu went to get a rag and a bucket from the gardening shed, and Nemuri decided to stand next to him.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou remembered that day he asked if she could help him with aiding the Pokémon, and she only nodded. He lifted the Pokémon up once again and checked for any exterior signs of injury. As he slowly twisted and flipped the body, Nemuri sat on the ground, an expression on her face that had mixed feelings of disgust and fear.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Koharu gave him the items and he quickly grabbed the rag and started wiping the excess water off of Sandshrew’s shell. Koharu went to get more rags, and Gou told Nemuri to get him some sand with the bucket.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">To Nemuri’s credit, she did know that Sandshrew did like bathing in sand and doing so will remove excess water. However, the girl moved slowly to the sand pit area. She wasn’t running, but it was a mixture of trying to speed walk and trying not to run too fast. And that seriously upset Gou. He quickly picked up the Sandshrew and ran over to the sandpit, completely passing Nemuri on the way. He practically jumped into the sand pit and quickly covered the Pokémon with enough sand so that it’s body was completely submerged except for its head.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">That whole event was only one of the many times they would encounter a Pokémon and Nemuri would do practically nothing to help. He remembered the day a Psyduck had a hurt flipper/wing, and he gave it a head massage until an adult spotted him with her Psyduck. She quickly thanked the boy for first off finding her Psyduck and for giving it a massage for its irritating headache. Nemuri was with him and she refused to touch and to aid the Pokémon. But what was worse was that she was telling him facts about the Pokémon, which was stuff he already knew. Another event was with an Oddish who simply wondered into the school. Nemuri freaked out and stayed six feet away from it, shouting to the other kids that it’s pollens it could emit could paralyze, poison, or cause the inhaler to sleep. Gou walked up to the Oddish, and the Pokémon started crying into his shirt because it simply wondered too far and it got lost on its way home. A Vileplume showed up at the school within an hour, and Nemuri was now ten feet away due to Vileplumes’ stronger potency. But one look at Gou and the Oddish that snuggled into his lap was all it took for the Vileplume to understand what was going on. Oddish was returned with its mother that day, and Gou was ecstatic that he could be of help once again to Pokémon.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m not sure mom,” Gou told his mother. “It’s just... I really enjoy helping the Professor with his research. I get to spend every day with Satoshi, and I’m learning more and more about something I love.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Whether he was talking about Satoshi or researching Pokémon (or maybe both) his mother would never know.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I understand dear,” his mother sighed. A sign that she knew she would never be able to stop Gou and his ambitions. “Then I’ll leave you be in Galar. Bye dear!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Bye mom,” he said before hearing a click.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou sat on the edge of the bed, rethinking about the fact that Nemuri now has a Litten and a Toxel. It was strange at first to hear that she had gotten her first Pokémon, and it being a Pokémon from Alola. He did hear from his parents before that she had other family members in Alola, and thus having a Litten as the starter. The Toxel, being a gifted egg to her, had simply added on to the mystery of whether she could tolerate Pokémon still.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">He could remember back then, each event that happened with a Pokémon and Nemuri refusing to touch or even get close to it. But after so long, he wondered if she did change for the better. After all, people could change drastically over the course of days and all it took was a catalyst.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">His thoughts went back to his parents after that. His mother was really trying to set him up with Nemuri again, and his father was joining the ride. He didn’t understand why his parents would allow him to see a girl with that intent at such a young age. But then again, he overheard his grandmother stating that they both met each other when they were his age back in the old days.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou looked over to Raboot and the two Gallades, who stood outside on the balcony of their hotel room, taking in the smells of Galar air. The two Pokémon enjoyed standing there, especially after Gou and Satoshi had their moment with Gou’s body imaging issues. He considered that next time they come, they would definitely try to get a balcony room next time for them.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi picked up his phone on the way to the restaurant. Instead of getting curry, the two boys decided to get something else: kabobs. Hammerlocke had a restaurant that sold giant kabobs, and Satoshi opted to go there to try it out.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hello?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey Satoshi,” his mother greeted. “I just got off the phone with Grace, and she just told me that Serena caught herself an Absol! How exciting is that?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi braced himself as this was the seventh call about Serena and how she’s updating him about her. “That’s cool,” he said in a bland tone. “How are you mom?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m doing fine sweetie,” she said before going back on topic. “I’ve been doing much better since I caught up with Grace recently. We’ve both been talking to each other and catching up with times! It’s been really fun!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">While that meant more Serena-based updates, that also meant his mother wasn’t feeling too lonely at home. He did feel bad that his mother was now home alone due to Mr.Mime taking care of him and Gou. Though, Levanny had volunteered to keep her company, making him feel a bit less guilty for taking Mr.Mime. It also made him feel a bit better that she was reconnecting with old friends.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Oh-“ his mother stood up from the couch where she was sitting. “Grace sent me a picture from Serena’s room of you two and it’s so cute!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Okay never mind she can go back to being lonely.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Satoshi! Why didn’t you tell me you two were dating already?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Wait what?” Satoshi froze in place outside of the restaurant. Both of his Pokémon detected his interrupted movement and stood beside him. “Mom what are you talking about?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You two look so cute in this picture!” She held up a picture of Satoshi and Serena that was taking with the camera on Serena’s tablet device. It was a selfie from back in the days of Kalos. She had just finished her first Pokémon Performance and she took a picture to commemorate it. Both Bonnie and Clemont were congratulating her Pokémon while they took the selfie. “You should have told earlier!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Mom we’re not dating,” he said as he noticed his Pokémon staring at him. He pushed himself to move forward, and entered the restaurant.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Inside the restaurant was a somewhat packed room. The people inside where chatting and the jazz filling up the room made the atmosphere seem fun and exciting. Satoshi told his mother to wait as he walked to the cashier. He placed in the order and paid accordingly before he went back on the call.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“We’re not dating mom,” he said as Pikachu climbed his shoulder and Riolu waited beside him on the ground. “Serena and I are just friends.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Sounds like you two went through a nasty break up,” she alluded, thinking about the flat and mono tonic vibe she was getting from her son. “Fine, I won’t question it.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“No mom we never dated in the first place,” he explained. “I’m not interested in Serena. Nor was I ever back then.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Really?” She said, rolling her eyes and calling his bluff. “Then how do you explain the kiss?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Kiss?” He asked. How did she know about that?</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">His mother tired to sound serious as she explained. “Grace and I found out from a little birdy that you two shared a kiss before she flew off to Hoenn.” She couldn’t hold it in anymore and started chuckling. “But if you don’t want to admit it, that’s fine Satoshi. I understand.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“No mom,” he tried to explain. “We’re not dating. At all. I’m not attracted to her or anything.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Order for Satoshi!” A man yelled as he dinged the bell.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi went to pick up his order and let his Rotom phone float has he gave one take out bag to Pikachu, one to Riolu, and one for himself to hold.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Really?” She asked. He could tell from her tone that she wasn’t being serious. “Are you sure?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m more sure of that than my goal of becoming a Pokémon Master,” he said as he left the restaurant. “I have to go. Bye mom.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Bye Satoshi.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi took one long, exasperated sigh. It was so loud that people from across the street looked over at him as he banged his head on a lamp post. They all nodded to each other that it was one of those days, and that it was such a mood.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey Gou I’m back!” Satoshi opened the door to their hotel room slowly. Carrying the takeout, along with some other things he had picked up at the Poke Mart. Both of his Pokémonhurried into the hotel room to set the food down on the table, both rushing in after in before he could even enter the room. Satoshi closed the door and locked it behind him, and found Gou lying on the bed with his arms spread out in exhaustion.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey Satoshi…” Gou said tiredly. Raboot poke his leg that was dangling off the table and the boy didn’t even react.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Are you that tired from observing Zigzagoon?” Satoshi asked, sitting on the bed next to him.“You could have told me you were tired earlier.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m not tired from that,” the boy on the bed informed the other. He lifted up his phone and showed it to Satoshi. “It’s my mom. She’s been trying to make me talk to a girl and it’s been really tiring to deal with her.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi chuckled under his breath. “Sounds like my mom. Who’s the girl?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“There’s this girl that I knew back when I went to school,” Gou said. “Her name’s Nemuri. She confessed to me when we were like six but I wasn’t paying attention to her.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You weren’t paying attention?” Satoshi asked as he wrapped his arm around Gou. Pikachu and Riolu smacked the boy’s leg, earning a loud yelp from the boy from Pallet town. They pointed to the food on the table, making him realize that everyone is hungry and that they need to start setting up dinner.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi stood up and continued the conversation. “What were you paying attention to?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou decided to stay on the bed, seeing that Satoshi alone would suffice setting up dinner. He turned to his left, away from the other boy, and muttered. “A Rattata’s whiskers...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi didn’t laugh, but held it in enough to have a puff of air come out of his nose. “And what happened after that?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“She’s tried to catch my attention by showing off her Pokémon knowledge,” she explained. “But she didn’t actually like Pokémon back then. I’m not sure about now though, because she has a Litten and a Toxel.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“So what are your parents saying then?” Satoshi asked, opening the take out boxes with the kabobs. He started taking them out as Gou continued his explanation.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“They’re working on a new project and her dad’s their new coworker,” Gou explained. “And now they’re talking about making us meet up again and I feel really uncomfortable.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Uncomfortable about what though?” Satoshi asked. He gave the first kabob to Pikachu, who squealed with delight. Riolu had never seen a kabob before,. So when holding it, the small fighting type thought it was a weapon. Pikachu explained to the aura Pokémonthat it was food, and taught it how to eat the somewhat tall stacked food item. “Be careful buddy. Are you uncomfortable meeting with her?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou sat up for this part, watching Raboot get his kabob. “I feel uncomfortable about my parents making romantic assumptions about me. They don’t know that we’re dating, and they see me as their straight son. But I don’t blame them because I never told them that I was dating you or anything like that.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Sounds like my situation too,” Satoshi said as he handed two kabobs to the two Gallades. “Enjoy!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi grabbed the last kabob and handed it to the other boy on the bed. “My mom’s been trying to set me up with a girl I traveled Kalos with. And Im also in the same boat as you. Uncomfortable and unable to do anything because we’re keeping our relationship a secret.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou accepted the kabob from Satoshi and made room for him to sit beside him on the bed. “Did you do anything remotely romantic with the girl that your parents know about?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Sort of,” Satoshi sighed. “My mom knows her mom because they’re old friends. After we traveled Kalos together and we wanted to move on to new separate regions, she gave me a good bye kiss.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“A k-kiss?!?!” Gou did a double take with his food. He coughed a few times and held his arm in front so no chunks came out. Luckily, nothing came out. However, a drink of water from the hydro flask was necessary. “You two kissed?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“She kissed me on the way down an escalator,” Satoshi admitted. “And no I don’t have any romantic feelings for her.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“So your mom and her mom know about that?” Gou asked. “What do they think?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi took a bite of his kabob and continued explaining despite eating at the same time. “My mom thinks that Serena and I are secretly dating behind their backs, but honestly it’s been a few months since I last actually seen her. My mom always keeps track of her through her mom.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Sounds exactly like what my parents are doing,” Gou realized. “I wonder why they’re doing this though?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Doing what?” Satoshi asked.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Trying to get us to have relationships,” Gou reasoned. “We’re barely ten-ish and we’re research fellows with Professor Sakuragi. It’s not like we’re self independent or champions you know? We’re still kids and our parents are more okay with us having girlfriends at this age.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“My mom told me she was watching this new drama,” Satoshi brought up. “Do you think it’s that?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I think our parents are just bored at home,” Gou thought about it. “We’re not there anymore and they’re probably pretty lonely.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That’s what I thought too,” Satoshi admitted. “Mr.Mine is with us now, so it’s only her and Levanny at home.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Levanny had volunteered to be the new Mr.Mime house wife to Satoshi’s mother. Due to the other Pokémon at Professor Oak’s lab being more battle oriented and being more matured, Levanny was missing out on a part of life involving nurturing and care taking. Bulbasaur was already the “head” of the group, so Levanny asked his mother to go with her and simply help out with the house. Surprisingly, Levanny had been a big help with his mother.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m so tired of this Satoshi,” Gou whined as he picked out the second item of the kabob. “I just want this to stop, but we can’t.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“We can’t?” Satoshi asked.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“If we try to stop it, they may question our orientation,” Gou explained to the other boy. “They may find out about us, and there’s no telling whether they would accept us or not.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You’re right,” Satoshi sadly agreed. “And I hate it.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I hate it too Satoshi,” Gou said as he started eating the third time. The other Pokémon were wrapping up their own kabobs, and it was because Gou and Satoshi were talking the whole time. Distracted by their own problems, they were much slower at eating.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Raboot had walked up to the boys with his almost empty kabob, and offered a suggestion. “Rab Rab.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two boys didn’t get it, but Pikachu and the two Gallades almost spit their food out at the suggestion. Riolu was clueless.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Raboot sighed as he put his kabob down. The rabbit decided it would do this only once, because anymore times it would be way too embarrassing. The Pokémonjumped onto the other bed and grabbed two pillows. It alluded to both Satoshi and Gou to one pillow. It then proceeded to make the first pillow collide with the second pillow, making little sound effects like puckering lips and little squeaks.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Pikachu and the two Gallades were horrified at this point, and had stopped eating. Riolu was even more confused at the rabbit Pokémon’s actions.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Raboot then grabbed the second pillow and laid it flat while the first pillow snuck up from behind. It mounted the other pillow and proceeded to-</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“RABOOT!” Gou screamed in fear at the top of his lungs.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi was still clueless.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Pikachu had a shocked expression on his face as he tried to cover Riolu’s eyes and senses with a pillow.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two Gallades started snickering at Gou’s expression and comparing it to Satoshi’s.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Raboot, however, was dying in laughter. Of course, it’s ears were shot due to the high pitch scream, but it was all worth it to see Gou’s face of realization.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“What was Raboot telling us?” Satoshi asked, completely clueless of what just happened.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Raboot suggested we...” Gou sighed. He didn’t know how to suggest threatening their parents with their hormones, so instead he opted with, “Give our parents a pregnancy scare.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“A pregnancy scare?” Satoshi asked. “Why that?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Well...” Gou didn’t want to have this talk with him. This should be for his mother to explain. “You know how usually it’s a woman and a man... and they have kids...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“...yeah?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“... Raboot suggested we scare our parents by threatening we have kids with the girls...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“... uh-huh...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“... and we use that to tell them that they should stop romantically shipping us with random girls.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gou!” Satoshi cheered. “Why didn’t you just say all that clearly? That makes a lot of sense!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The boy in question stood up, his face red as a tomato and his kabob still not even half way to empty. “I have to go outside.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“What’s wrong Gou?” Satoshi stood up with him and followed him out.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Nothing is wrong please leave me alone.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gou your kabob is getting cold-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Are you actually talking about the kabob or something else?!?!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gou what are you talking ab-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-“</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Piers was having a nice day. His sister Marnie was doing a phenomenal job as the new gym leader. Team Yell had changed reputation to actually being more positive than it used to be. And he wrote a new song! How exciting that was!</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Ey’ Piers!” A grunt called his name. Piers turned around and spotted the grunt that called his attention. Tagging behind him, however, were two young boys that were probably around Marnie’s age. If not, younger. “These two boys wanted to talk to you about something.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Piers slouched towards the two boys and and looked at them. “Hey. What can I do ya?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hello!” The boy with the red hair highlights greeted him first. “We’re research fellows under Professor Sakuragi in Vermillion City. We’re researching on the Galarian forms of Zigzagoon, and we were wondering if you can lend us your insight on the matter.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I can,” Piers sighed. “Let’s go outside-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Can I battle you?” The other boy suddenly asked.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Piers was surprised to hear someone request to battle him. The Pokémonbattles he’s been having recently were for the World Championships and battling against Leon. Since he was the top 100, and always in Galar, it was often that he would battle the other gym leaders and the champion. But to hear a random kid request to battle him was quite rare. In fact, for some reason, he actually got a little excited to battle for once.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Okay,” he said. “Let’s do it.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">He didn’t expect this boy to be so strong.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">With a one on one battle, he sent out his Obstagoon and the boy sent out his Pikachu that was perched on his shoulder. The boys marveled at the new Pokémon like most people did with their first Pokémon. He patiently waited for the boys to use their Pokedex’s on it. But after that, everything changed.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The boy’s Pikachu was way bulkier than normal Pikachu. The first move Pikachu used was quick attack, and Piers called it to use Obstruct before it could hit. Pikachu slammed its head on there, and Piers could see Obstructs’ secondary effect kick in- two defense drops. He ordered Obstagoon to swat it away with throat chop, sending it flying across the battle field. Pikachu looked like it had just fallen down a rough patch and not like it just took a massive attack.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Pikachu was also so fast and powerful. Thunderbolts struck harder than normal and the electro web combination to make itself faster was strategically beneficial. Thankfully, shadow claw was a useful move to help deflect some electricity damage.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Finally, iron tail was an unexpected move. At the final bash, the boy told his Pikachu to counter the throat chop with iron tail. The two Pokémon were at standstill, but thanks to Obstagoon’s advantage with it actually standing on the ground, it won out the interaction and Pikachu slammed down. The Pokémon could continue fighting, but he called the battle off.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You have quite the strong Pikachu,” Piers told the boy.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I love your Obstagoon!” The trainer said as he picked up his Pikachu. “He’s so cool and strong!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">His Obstagoon howled at the compliment, filling up all the corners of the indoor battle field with its loud call.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“So cool!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Satoshi,” the other boy called. “Good job with the battle. I was able to record it and we have some pretty good shots.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Satoshi?” Piers questioned. He realized he actually hadn’t gotten their names.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m Satoshi,” the boy introduced himself.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And I’m Gou,” the other boy introduced himself.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You’re pretty strong Satoshi,” Piers told the boy. “Are you in the World Championships?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I am!” He showed his Rotom phone. “I’m 921!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Not bad,” Piers told the boy. “Maybe one day you can battle Leon.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“He already did,” Gou side eyed. “It was a while ago though.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Wait wait,” Piers realized where he saw this Pikachu from. “You’re the boy who Gigantamaxed his Pikachu outside the stadium without the band?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Oh yeah!” Satoshi remembered. “That was so cool!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou gave Piers the ‘<em>yes he’s serious</em>’ look and sighed. “Leon gave him a Dynamax band after.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I got to say,” Piers commented. “I never expected a battle like this from a boy and Pikachu like you two.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Thank you,” he and Pikachu smiled.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“He’s also the Alolan Champion,” Gou coughed loudly.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Piers looked at the boy with a new set of eyes. One of the grunts behind him that overheard the conversation quickly looked up to see who the current champion was. The grunt quickly ran to Piers and showed him the tablet device.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Oh bloody hell I just battled the Alolan Champion.” The grunt ran off to spread the word while he talked to the two boys. “So why are you two really here?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I told you,” Gou explained. “We’re researching Obstagoon and we’re trying to figure out why Galar and Hoenn have such different forms.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The rest of the time was spent with Piers explaining to the two boys his knowledge about Obstagoon. He explained everything from the changed diet, the influence of music, and how this Pokémon became more of a sound-user Pokémon in comparison to the other. Piers even told them about his own theory that the species could have started off in Galar. And that the new species in Hoenn was to counter balance against the Poochyenna line. Here in Galar, it would counter against the Nickit and the Wooloo. But to balance against the Poochyenna line, the species lost its dark typing to become pure normal. And because of it, it lost the dark typing and it lost the third evolution line.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two were about to leave town when they realized that route 9 was right there, and Circhester was just over the ice lakes. Piers had helped them call a flying taxi, and they took off within minutes.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Marnie had just finished her last challenger of the day, and met up with her brother outside.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Anything you do today that was interesting?” She asked her older brother.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I battled the Alolan Champion and then I gave a history lesson.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Piers was never the one to joke around like that, but when he did he always sounded serious enough that his sister always falls for it. She immediately flipped out and started pegging him for questions. Even the grunts agreed that the Alolan Champion had come to their town, and that he sat through a history lesson about Obstagoon taught by Piers.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Later that night, he started writing a new song based off the feelings he got from Satoshi. He didn’t realize it at first, but eventually, that song would eventually become his new number one single.</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Can we agree this time to not fight over the bill?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Both Satoshi and Gou were standing outside of the infamous restaurant, Bob’s Your Uncle. The two boys stared at each other, shivering in the cold, dead in the eyes. The last time they fought over the bill, Satoshi remained mad at the boy and refused to give him good night kisses. That resulted with them fighting it out, and hotel security showing up at their room for noise complaints.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Fine,” Gou sighed as he opened the door for him. “Let’s not get hotel security to come again.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The boys were seated at a somewhat larger table this time. With the new addition of Riolu and the two Gallades, they had a party of seven. Both Satoshi and Gou sat outside while the Pokémonsat inside.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“No paying for the bill early,” Satoshi told the boy. “Got it?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Fine,” Gou sighed. Both Gallades chuckled at their owners, feeling the emotions being emitted from the both of them.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The employee that took their order realized that one of the Gallades were shiny. Satoshi explained how they each had a Gallade and that his was the shiny one. She looked estatic to see the blue design of Gallade that she asked if she could take a photo with both of them. The two Gallade looked nervous at first, and the employee simply asked for their permission, and that there were no hard feelings if they declined. They felt a little better after that, and decided to take the photo. Satoshi had held the employee's phone as both Gallades stood beside her, making their standard poses like in the Pokedex. However, this caused the other employees to be interested in taking photos as well.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">By the time four more employees asked for photos, their food was done. This time, they ordered three different pizzas, which was always more than enough for the seven of them. However, the manager had come out from his office and also asked for a photo in exchange for some free sides. They ended up with a large basket of chips (French fries for you Americans) and they also had a small basket of tempera batter fried vegetables. Apparently that was an experimental test item and the manager offered it to them for free. Raboot was already happy to feast on some pizza, but the tempura fried carrot slice in front of it was enough to send him to Heaven.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">An hour and a half has passed and somehow, all the food was gone. Three pizzas, a large basket of chips, a small basket of tempura fried vegetables, and three liters of water were all gone. The employees cleared the table, and realized that over forty percent of the food eaten was from the boy who owned the shiny Gallade.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m so full...” Satoshi had his head down on the table as the food coma was hitting him. He had never been so full since Alola that he wanted to cut his stomach open so that he could take some food out. He was actually scared about how he was gonna move to go outside. “Gou... help me...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And this is why you don’t eat that much Satoshi,” the boy flicked the back of Satoshi’s head. Gou definitely had eaten a lot, despite his “skinny” problem. The only reason why he’s not acting like Satoshi is currently was because he was in that stage earlier. Thanks to his fast metabolism, he could feel his body starting to process the food already, making him feel not as bloated.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">However, the same could not be said for Pikachu and Riolu. The two were on the velvet seats lying down with their bellies out and full. They were both knocked out. The two Gallades were also very full, but thanks to their body physique they actually didn’t seem that full. However, they assured their trainers that they had enough food. Raboot was also very full, but was trying very hard not to show it. The rabbit Pokémon was in between trying to stay awake and falling asleep, and was trying very hard not to knock out.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey Gou...” Satoshi sighed. “I have to tell you something before I die...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You’re not gonna die Satoshi...” Gou assured him. “Come on. I already paid the bill. Let’s go.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Okay- wait what!” The boy stood up immediately, despite his belly being full. “But that’s impossible! You didn’t move from the table!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I didn’t have to,” Gou told the boy. “Because you did.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi realized what he was talking about.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“As we were ordering, I slipped the waiter a large sum of money,” Gou told the boy. “I didn’t know how much the total would be, but because I gave him a lot of money, we wouldn’t have to worry about it.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The Pokémon at the table all gasp loudly. Satoshi’s Gallade let out the loudest gasp however, leaning into Gou’s Gallade for support.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I wouldn’t be so smug if I were you,” Satoshi smirked. “Because I paid for the bill!” The boy then whipped out from his front pocket two 100 Poke Dollar bills.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“<em>NANI!</em>” Gou shouted loudly. The Pokémon also let out a louder gasp. This time, Gou’s Gallade was the one that gasped loudly. Satoshi’s Gallade ran its arm up the other’s back, assuring him that everything was fine.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“When I was taking photos with the employees, I asked them to switch the payment.” Gou remembered the moment Satoshi was helping the employees take pictures, and he could recall the moment that Satoshi was whispering something to an employee. “I was able to put in my credit card instead of your cash!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You mean,” Gou lifted up the blue Metagross themed credit card. “This credit card?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“<em>OH MY GOODNESS</em>!” Satoshi shouted in surprise. Satoshi’s Gallade once again gasped the loudest of the group, despite their gasps becoming louder and bolder. It looked over to Gou’s Gallade before tackling it in a hug so tight it’s head was locked to stare into the other’s shoulder.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I knew you would try to use your credit card, but I didn’t know you would take my cash. That’s why while you were taking photos, I quickly called the credit card company!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“OH NO!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I told them about your credit card and they disabled it until you call back,” Gou handed him his blue credit card. "I told the employee to use my credit card instead because mine isn’t deactivated.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gou!” Satoshi whined. “You’re so meannnnn for canceling my credit card! But good job.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Thank y-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“-Is what I would have said.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">This time every Pokémon and Gou gasped. Gou’s Gallade had been pushed backwards by the sudden surprise, making it lean back against the velvet. Satoshi’s Gallade noticed the sudden shock and realized that Gou’s Gallade couldn’t take the heart brakes anymore, and that it had been blown back by the plot twists. Satoshi’s Gallade assured the other everything was fine and was shaking the other’s shoulders.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Did you really think I would have given them only one credit card?” Satoshi asked. The boy reached his wallet, and opened the flap to reveal a plastic sheath to flip out of it. There were six empty spaces, which Gou quickly realized to be credit card slots. “I gave them six so they can pick and choose.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou was stunned by the sudden pressure. His plans foiled and there was nothing he could do. <em>Scratch that</em>. His first few plans foiled and here was still so much he had done.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Are you talking about these credit cards?” Gou brought out from his back pocket four more credit cards. They were all different colors, and all clanged differently as they hit the table.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi’s Gallade had now collapsed on the other Gallade’s lap. It quickly woke up from its sudden unconsciousness and quickly tended to the Gallade on its lap.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I couldn’t get all of them, but I managed to get 5/6 cards.” Gou then sighed. “I managed to slip my own card with the employee. So we’re on an even match.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Rab bi...” Raboot sighed and handed back Gou a credit card. It apologized that it couldn’t go bring the card to the front person like it did before. This turn, Pikachu and Riolu sat beside the rabbit Pokémon, making it hard for it to escape.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“It’s okay Raboot,” Gou smiled. “A 50/50 chance isn’t that bad you know.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“You’re right...” Satoshi struggled to lift his arm up to par Gou on the back. Still tired from his food coma, Satoshi gave a hardy laugh about how even they were at this game of paying the bill. “It all comes down to this...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two boys watched as the employee noticed the two cards. She picked up a blue card (both cards were blue) and quickly tapped a few buttons on screen. Within a few moments, the manager came out and she handed him both cards.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Boys!” The manager came back out to their table. “You two were having a pay fight right?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Both Gou and Satoshi stared at each other with nervous eyes and stiff shoulders. This was the first time a manager had confronted them about their petty fights, so they didn’t know how to react.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I love this game!” the manager told the two. “And I hate watching couples fight it out. So here’s what I’ll do. I’ll put up a random number generator from 1-100, and you two pick either even or odd.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Fundamentally speaking, this would result in a more true version of 50/50 with less bias.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I pick even!” Satoshi announced.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’ll take odd.” Gou told the man.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And away we go!” The man pressed the bottom and the tablet that he was holding was now rolling a new number. Since it was digital, there was no visible wheel or anything to actually let them see. It would be completely random, and nothing except internal bias could result in an uneven setting.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And the number is...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou and Satoshi snuggled up against each other that night.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The night skies slowly set upon Hammerlocke and the cold air of Galar was flowing in from the south. A sight cool breeze was drafting in, so they opened to keep the balcony door closed.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Both Gallades, Riolu, Pikachu, and Raboot shared one bed all together. And it was quite strange to see all the Pokémon somehow fit one bed together. But it was honestly because no one wanted to share a bed with Satoshi and Gou.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi would spread his limbs out and would take up the whole queen size bed. He would somehow orientate himself to the center of the bed without a pillow, and the blankets would randomly come off. But Gou would make him stay in place with the blanket on somehow. He latched on to the big and slept upon his soft chest and listen to the calming sound of his heart beat.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two boys held each other close as if that was all they had left. Left untouched, undisturbed, and unnoticed, they were somehow able to slow down time so that each second seemed like two, and each two seemed like three.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Nothing had upset them that day surprisingly. Whether you count the phone calls with their mothers, their time in Bob’s Your Uncle, or their banter with each other, nothing made them angry at each other. And this resulted in everyone getting a good night’s sleep.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Yes, and this had been possible thanks to the manager splitting the check for them.</p>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3">"You're number is..." the manager pressed the button and smirked at the two boys. He gave each boy a three second stare, going from Satoshi first, and then Gou second. He then revealed on the table device their receipt. On the bottom revealed the total being slashed by 2. And there were two credit card numbers listed. "And Bob's Your Uncle. We do split checks here."</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p3"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey mom,” Satoshi and Gou greeted their own mothers.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey Satoshi!” His mother replied.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Hey Gou!” His mother replied.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Both mothers then realized that they were both on the same call. “What’s going on?” They both asked.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Since they were doing an audio only group call, Satoshi and Gou were next to each other with the phone on speaker. Satoshi gripped his hand with Gou’s, and nodded him to continue,</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Well,” Gou explained. “We thought it was time you both meet each other. Mom, meet Satoshi’s mom. and Satoshi’s mom, meet my mom.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m Delia,” she said, introducing herself.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And I’m Kurune,” his mother greeted the other.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“We thought it was time you two meet up!” Satoshi told the group.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou jumped in. “We figured that you two might miss us so it’d be best for you two to know about each other!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Aww,” Delia smiled. “You two are so cute!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“They’re right about that,” Kurune said, “I’m surprised we haven’t talked sooner.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Us too,” Gou realized. “You two somehow told Professor Sakuragi at the same time that we were both getting older and that we may have needed our own rooms.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Wait so that was the both of us?” Kurune asked.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Delia chuckled. “I guess that’s just coincidental timing.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Speaking of coincidental timing,” Satoshi interrupted his mother. “Can you two explain why it’d be a good idea for us to find girlfriends?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Both mothers paused, realizing the situation they’re in. Their sons were trying to set them up! How dare they! And they also got their own moms in the call so they can’t out a specific son. They must have planned this some time ago, because this was one of those plans that requires at least some time to fully think out.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Sweetie,” Delia spoke first. “I just wanted to see you happy.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And I am,” Satoshi explained. “I’ve been though 8 different regions, competed in over ten different leagues, and probably have met every single legendary Pokémon. I’m living my life out here mom!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And I’m living out my dreams of researching mom,” Gou explained. “I get to learn more about Pokémon and to be able to apply it to actual Pokémon? That’s such a cool reality! Why would I want to tarnish that with a girl that barely cares about Pokémon?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Nemuri?” Kurune asked. “She barely cares?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Trust me,” Gou muttered. “You don’t know the half of it.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And mom,” Satoshi asked before Kurune could ask her son any further. “Serena is living her own dreams and I’m living mine. Please don’t mix up our dreams into one when we have two different dreams.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“But you two are so cute together!” Delia reasoned.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“And you two would have been so cute!” Kurune also reasoned.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Moms,” Gou said, addressing both women. “I think you’re trying to ship us, your sons, with girls because you two are probably becoming lonely due to us leaving home and not visiting that often.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Psssh,” both women brushed it off. “Totally not.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two boys, since they were sitting next to each other, rolled their eyes as they let that sail over their heads. Their mothers, however, chuckled when they unintentionally spoke at the same time.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi added in, “And that drama Alola Detective Laki is making you two want your kids to be in relationships!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Okay that’s only partially true,” Delia told her son.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Nah that’s actually true,” Kurune sighed. “I’m guilty of that.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Mom!” Gou let out an exasperated whine.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“But still,” Satoshi made sure to confirm his point, “you can’t just expect your only two sons to randomly start dating. We’re barely ten and we’re so young to do anything.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That’s true...” Delia sighed. “You have to at least be twelve.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Wait what-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“But that doesn’t mean you can live your emotions through us,” Gou told the two mothers. “We just want to live our lives. We don’t want to date girls yet.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou’s mother sighed, because what Gou was saying was entirely true. “You’re right sweetie.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Delia sighed as well. “Gou’s right. And so is Satoshi. I’m sorry sweetie.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I’m sorry too,” Kurune apologized.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I appreciate the apology mom,” Gou said, trembling at the same time. “But I’m so tired of this happenin. And every time-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“It’s okay Gou,” Satoshi interrupted. “Moms. Please just stop doing this.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I understand dear,” His mother sighed. “But my break ends in two minutes but I have to go Gou. Delia, it’s nice meeting you!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“It’s nice meeting you too!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Okay we have to go to,” Gou and Satoshi said together. “Bye!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Bye!”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">The two boys hung up on their phone call and sighed loudly. They couldn’t believe it.<em> It was finally done! No more shipping with them and girls! No more mothers giving them embarrassing banter! No more of that stuff anymore!</em></p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Thanks Satoshi,” Gou said, smiling at the other boy.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“What did I do?” The boy gave him the same look back.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“For being my confidence booster,” Gou reached in and gave him a kiss. “And for making me feel special.” He gave him a second kiss at a different location.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Gou!” He chuckled as Gou slipped in a third kiss. “What are you-“</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Please Satoshi,” Gou begged. “I... I really need you tonight too.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Gou blushed as he realized what he had just said to the other boy. Raboot started snickering loudly as Pikachu tried to pull him out of the room and into the balcony. The two Gallades were laughing their butts off, but were willing to walk out to the balcony to give them some privacy. Riolu, on the other hand, was also confused. And even more confused when Pikachu ran back in and pulled him out before they shut the doors.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“I was just gonna ask to snuggle tonight,” Gou admitted. “But I’m so glad they went outside.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Well then,” Satoshi got into place next to him. “Ready?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Let’s do it.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Delia hung up the phone call and got up from her place on the couch when a second phone call came through. She didn’t recognize the number, but picked it up anyways.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Delia is that you?” A familiar voice asked.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Kurune?” Delia asked. “Is that you?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“How much do you wanna bet the boys are dating each other?” The woman asked.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Kurune!” Delia sounded shocked and offended. She quickly sat back down on the couch and made herself comfortable. Leavanny noticed that Delia sat back down, and walked over to see what was going on. “I’d say that they’ll find their feelings for each other some time next month.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“That early?” Kurune asked. “Gou’s the type of person to take a while to conduct an analysis. I would saw two months from now.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“But did you see how Satoshi was looking out for him in our call?” Delia giggled. “That was so cute! He said that with such feeling that it seems there’s hidden meaning behind there.”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Kurune laughed at the statement, agreeing with her. “I don’t actually have my break ending in two minutes. Gou must have forgotten that today’s my off day. Can we talk about this more?”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">“Of course! So what’s their ship name?” Delia asked, twirling the charging cable with her finger. Leavanny chuckled before bending down to grab Delia's notepad and pen. “I’m thinking...”</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p3">Satoshi and Gou never found out their mothers were shipping them with each other until much later on. So much so, it would take them about nine months after for them to realize.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Some things I should address: <br/>1) I hope it was clear that Gou's mom is realistically the only one interested in Gou's love life. His father is just excited to work with another person LMAO.<br/>2) If you didn't know, the Litten and the Toxel are a reference to Haruka's works about an Observing Litten. They're amazing and go check them out (on AO3 as TheRedMatter and Harukadrawsthings on Tumblr, and they're available on other platforms too).<br/>3) them jokes ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  also, am I allowed to make dirtier jokes or should I limit myself? This is teens and up so...<br/>4) I expect Raboot to be the type of delinquent to know and explain everything with no filter. <br/>5) I enjoy the Bob's Your Uncle shenanigans and I hope you do too. This should be the resolution of the pay fights they have against each other... or is it?<br/>6) The moms will be back. Don't worry.</p>
<p>Follow me on tumblr @Negira1239-pokemon-blog! Talk with me about Pokemon or something! I post informational things about the anime and what they do right (in terms of research and whatnot). Also, I play everything (except cafe mix) so if you trouble brushing your teeth or completing raids, or just wanna talk about Magikarps I'm your go-to!</p>
<p>Okay yall. I'm done ranting here. Expect a Gou vs Serena update soon and expect another update from this work soon. I think I'm gonna keep this series continuous until I'm tired of it, so don't worry about this ending soon. And yeah. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>-Negira1239</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Isle of Armor and Crowned Tundra (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Satoshi and Gou are separated and are forced to go to both the Isle of Armor and the Crowned Tundra on their own.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! Sorry it's been a while since I updated this series or anything on AO3, but trust me I ain't dead! I just started posting more drawings and stuff on Tumblr, so check me out on there! </p><p>Also, there's no beta editing cuz umm... it's only a suggestion like lactose intolerance. </p><p>I hope y'all enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Is it just me or us Raboot staring at us quite... weirdly?”</p><p> </p><p>Satoshi and Gou were about to exit their hotel room when they stopped and saw Raboot sitting by the bedroom door. The fire rabbit Pokémon had been sitting there by itself for quite a while, giving little nods and glimpses to them as they were preparing for the day.</p><p> </p><p>They both turned to the other side of the room and realized what was up. Riolu was sitting on the other side, staring back at Raboot.</p><p> </p><p>A few weeks ago, they had left Raboot and Riolu in their dorm room while Gou and Satoshi ran to the nearest mart to buy Pokeballs. Apparently, the two Pokémon had never been alone by themselves and had actually driven each other to insanity. Unless a third party like them or Pikachu was available, they would create an awkwardness between them and they would unwillingly beg for someone else to come.</p><p> </p><p>And this feeling was so strange, and it was because this was born purely out of awkwardness. No hatred. No jealousy. No envy. Just, pure awkwardness.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh wait-“ Gou rushed over to where Raboot was and picked up the fire rabbit. “I need your opinion on something. Come with me?”</p><p> </p><p>Raboot grabbed Gou’s pant sleeve- secretly, he clenched it- and followed the boy out the room. Riolu sighed in relief as the two boys left the hotel room.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s going on?” Satoshi asked the other boy. “We’re just heading to the store for some food.”</p><p> </p><p>“Raboot told me that he gets really shy and awkward with Riolu,” Gou said, patting the rabbit’s head. “Weird right?”</p><p> </p><p>“I guess...” Satoshi said, looking at the fire rabbit’s death grip on the pant sleeve.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Wait wait wait,” Gou asked the professor to clarify once more. “You’re separating us?”</p><p> </p><p>Professor Sakuragi presented the hologram to the two boys once again. They were in the lobby of the Pokémon center using one of the phone booths to report back to Professor Sakuragi. With Rotom plugged into there, data transferring was a lot quicker than using standard wifi.</p><p> </p><p>“Due to a miscalculation in scheduling,” Professor Sakuragi clarified, “I need Satoshi to go to the Crowned Tundra and for you Gou to go to the Isle of Armor for a few days. There’s been a recent rumor about the Slowpokes and how they evolve into their evolutionary counter parts.”</p><p> </p><p>“There’s a Galarian form of Slowpoke?” Satoshi asked the professor. “How have we not seen it before?”</p><p> </p><p>“I think it’s only on the Isle of Armor,” Gou answered. “That they live at.”</p><p> </p><p>“Gou’s right,” Professor Sakuragi told the boys. “Slowpoke lives in the Isle of Armor. However, Slowbros are more prominent in the Isle of Armor and Slowkings are exclusively in the Crowned Tundra.”</p><p> </p><p>“Isle of Armor?” Satoshi asked. “Crowned Tundra? What are those?”</p><p> </p><p>“Those are two islands off Galar,” Gou told the other boy. “So you want us to go explore both islands alone?”</p><p> </p><p>“I have a friend in the Crowned Tundra that’s starting an expedition soon,” Professor Sakuragi replied. “I’m thinking of having Satoshi join him to get research about Slowing, and I was planning on having you go to the Isle of Armor to research Slowbros.”</p><p> </p><p>“So you are separating us?” Gou said, his tone now showing a sense of worry. “Wh-what about us working as a team?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry boys,” Professor Sakuragi sighed. “Sometimes we have deadlines and restrictions. I promise next time we won’t separate you, but I really need some of this data now.”</p><p> </p><p>The two boys looked at each other with saddened eyes. They were already getting tired from getting separate bedrooms. But having to go through a new area alone?</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay Gou,” Satoshi said, offering him a small, condoling smile. “We’re only going for a few days right? It shouldn’t be that bad.”</p><p> </p><p>Professor Sakuragi gave the two boys a soft smile, complementing Satoshi’s smile and gave them a soft pat on the back. “You two will only be gone for four days. And you’ll be taking the safe flight there and back. I think you two can survive four days without each other.”</p><p> </p><p>“Four days…” Gou sadly considered. Four days seemed torturous because that’s almost 100 hours without Satoshi. Without his boyfriend, and without his boyfriend’s Pokemon that he slowly grew fond of.</p><p> </p><p>“Gou…” Satoshi caught his attention. “We’ll be fine. I swear we will.”</p><p> </p><p>Gou looked down on the red carpet of the center and stared at his gray shoes. He clenched his fist silently, closing his eyes and slouching forward as he came to his decision.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine…” Gou opened his eyes and eased himself a little bit. “Professor. So what are we doing there?”</p><hr/><p> </p><p>“So I guess this is it…” Gou said, holding his backpack tightly.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah…” Satoshi blinked and rubbed his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>The two boys and their pokemon had just ridden the airplane and have arrived at Wyndon airport. They had taken a train all the way to the other air space, where a load of Corviknights and the Taxi Drivers were located. Now, they were to each get into their own Taxi and to fly to their designated islands.</p><p> </p><p>“Satoshi I…” Gou grabbed his hand, ignoring the fact that someone might spot them. “I’m gonna miss you.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m gonna miss you too Gou,” Satoshi smiled, gripping back Gou’s hand. “Call me when you get to your hotel?”</p><p> </p><p>“Definitely,” Gou smiled. He had that going for him at least. “And you as well?”</p><p> </p><p>“For sure,” Satoshi pulled him in and gave him a heart-warming hug. Using the arm that Gou was holding, Satoshi reeled him in and used the other arm to lock him inside, preventing him from escaping. Since they were similar in height, their heads were close together but they never collided, Satoshi’s chin resting on Gou’s shoulder while his head rested on his. He could smell the light scent of the shampoo that Gou uses in his hair, but he could also smell the familiar scent of Gou as well. He didn’t know how to describe it other than it being the smell of Gou, but he could easily identify that smell out of nowhere.</p><p> </p><p>Gou, on the other hand, was as red as a tomato. His secret boyfriend was holding him in public in a hug and holy crap were people staring? This was something foreign to Gou and it was starting to worry him. But at the same time, the warm feeling of Satoshi in his arms was making him relaxed and less tense. These two conflicting feelings were starting to make a Gou uncomfortable, because what was it that he should be feeling? But at the same time, he just wanted to stay longer.</p><p> </p><p>“Gou?” Satoshi asked. “Are you there buddy?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just a few more seconds,” Gou hushed. He wanted to enjoy this feeling longer.</p><p> </p><p>“But you’re gonna miss your flight,” Satoshi reasoned.</p><p> </p><p>Gou replied, “the flight can wait. You can’t.”</p><p> </p><p>And that’s when reality hit the two boys hard. It was always moments like these that they both realized are the most precious. Life had thrown them many curve balls and obstacles along the way that made them devote time and sacrifice into, but it always rewarded them with moments that they would always treasure.</p><p> </p><p>“Gou...” Satoshi whined. “People are staring...”</p><p> </p><p>“Satoshi...”. Gou decided to pull himself off, but this time he grabbed Satoshi’s shoulders and positioned him so that he was a few inches away from his face. Their foreheads were inches apart and their eyes stared only at the other. “Remember what we said in the beginning of our relationship?”</p><p> </p><p>Satoshi smiled, snickering at Gou’s cheesiness. “If luck is what we need to keep ourselves a secret-“</p><p> </p><p>“-then we need to earn that luck,” Gou continued. “The future is in the palm of our hands-“</p><p> </p><p>“-and we’ll both change it-“</p><p> </p><p>They both shouted, “together!”</p><p> </p><p>The two boys said good bye to each before getting into their designated Flying Taxi. They sat alone with their Pokemon, staring into the vast blue sea below them as their traveled to their designated islands.</p><p> </p><p>Gou, along with Raboot, could feel the warm heat slowly setting into the atmosphere around them. He could tell the Isle of Armor was coming close, and that his next journey, without Satoshi, was about to begin.</p><p> </p><p>Satoshi, on the other hands, closed the window and grabbed Pikachu. The cold was now coming in and it was getting really chilly. He brought out his winter apparel and started wearing his coat and other items as the Flying Taxi was flying closer to the destination. It felt strange separating from Gou. As a person who said good bye too many traveling companions, this one was obviously the most dramatic and the most impactful to him. And it was for good reason- minus the fact that he’ll literally see Gou in like four days. The boy readied his cap as the Flying Taxi driver announced their descent.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>The first thing Gou did when he landed in the Isle of Armor was check on Satoshi’s location. Thanks to the Rotom phones having GPS, they were able to check to see where the other was for safety reasons. Satoshi was in the middle of the ocean, but more than half way there.</p><p> </p><p>The door to the Flying Taxi opened quickly; the taxi driver himself pushed the door open for Gou and his pokemon to step out.</p><p> </p><p>“Welcome to the Isle of Armor,” the Taxi driver said to him. “Be careful on your way out.”</p><p> </p><p>Gou hopped off the taxi, then Raboot, then Sobble. Sobble quickly scaled Gou’s body and sat upon his left shoulder before they headed into the station lobby.</p><p> </p><p>Inside the lobby was a person with a lab coat sitting down. She was on her computer typing something, focused on her task. The other people in the station was an anxious guy who seemed nervous, and the Poke Mart clerk. Gou knew which person to go to.</p><p> </p><p>“Excuse me?” Gou asked the woman typing on her computer. “Are you with Sonia’s research team?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh!” The woman hit a few commands on her keyboard- probably save- and then closed her computer. “You’re here! You must be Gou!”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s me,” Gou smiled.</p><p> </p><p>“Great-“ she quickly pulled out a cable. “Let me update your pokedex really quickly before you proceed forward.”</p><p> </p><p>Gou’s Rotom phone floated out and immediate bit the other end of the cable connected to the woman’s device. She pressed a few buttons on there and the process of transferring information started.</p><p> </p><p>“Just to let you know,” she said. “I’m not the one you’ll be following around today.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” Gou asked.</p><p> </p><p>“There’s a boy waiting for you inside the dojo,” the professor said. “His name is Hop. You should be able to find him pretty quickly.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hop huh?” Gou asked. “What a peculiar name...”</p><p> </p><p>“And done!” The woman turned the device off and Rotom receded back into Gou’s pocket. “You should now be able to see the Isle of Armor’s Pokémon. Have fun Gou!”</p><p> </p><p>Gou thanked the assistant and with his Pokemon, he headed outside.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>The Flying Taxi landed in the Crowned Tundra with a loud thud. Satoshi grabbed the hand rail in front of him as he braced for the harmful impact. Pikachu, who was inside his sweater, gripped Satoshi’s inside shirt. The two passengers literally bounced in their seats as the taxi settled on to the ground.</p><p> </p><p>Or so they thought. Turns out, the landing area they landed on was actually icy, and the taxi slid on the icy runway. The Corviknight above them screeched loudly as it flapped its massive wings to stabilize. The Taxi Driver quickly jumped off the metal bird and grabbed the dangling rope along the side of the taxi. He quickly moved to the anchor on the ground and tied the rope there, tying down the taxi so that it could stay in one place.</p><p> </p><p>Once the taxi was actually in place, the driver went over to the door and opened it for Satoshi.</p><p> </p><p>“Apologies for the rough landing,” the taxi driver said, offering his hand to help the boy down. “Usually, the team here is really good at melting the ice on the runway.”</p><p> </p><p>“No problem at all,” Satoshi smiled as he jumped off the taxi. “That was kind of fun.”</p><p> </p><p>The Flying Taxi Station located in the Crowned Tundra looked practically identical to the other stations in Galar. The only difference to this one was the cold atmosphere, but other than that, it was legitimately the same as the other stations. Satoshi made his way to the exit of the station. With Pikachu still in his coat due to the cold, he made his way to the storming outside.</p><p> </p><p>Despite being prepared for the cold, it was still really cold. Satoshi wasn’t aware of the actual temperature of the place, but just by the sight of the snow storm and the amount of ice around the area he already knew it was probably below freezing.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!” A large man called to him.</p><p> </p><p>Satoshi stopped in his tracks and turned towards the man. He wore an entirely orange winter coat and pants. There were numerous pockets on him, probably filled with random items. The man also had a large brown backpack hunched behind him, filled to the brim with supplies and other random objects. He also wore a pair of black winter gloves and had a matching hard hat that carried a red emblem of a familiar pokemon.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you Satoshi?” The man asked. He offered his gloved hand to Satoshi.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes,” Satoshi said, revealing his naked hand. The man quickly shook it vigorously, almost lifting the poor boy off the ground.</p><p> </p><p>“The name’s Peony!” The man introduced himself. “I’m the one leading the expedition. Come with me to the research grounds!”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay-“ Satoshi was pulled by Peony and was placed in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll show you around the area!” The man excitedly shouted. “This will be a lot of fun!”</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Gou felt completely out of place in the dojo.</p><p> </p><p>First off, he was standing in the middle of the dojo with Raboot beside him. Literally every student- from kids to adults- were staring at him, as if he was some sort of alien. He literally was an alien- he was a foreigner that came to visit the dojo and one of the owners literally told him to stand there. Thankfully, Hop was also there too.</p><p> </p><p>“Master Mustard!” Hop happy recognized, waving at the old man in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“My my,” Master Mustard smiled, “If it isn’t the brother of the Champion.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wh-wait,” Gou turned to the boy next to him. “Y-you’re Leon’s brother?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yup!” Hop smiled. “I actually came here to study a phenomenon within Dynamax.”</p><p> </p><p>“So I guess we’re working together,” Gou told the other boy. “Professor Sakuragi told me that Professor Sonia wanted me to help her assistant research something here at the Isle of Armor.”</p><p> </p><p>“So you’re the research assistant from Professor Sakuragi’s lab,” Hop extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet cha’.”</p><p> </p><p>“Charmed,” Gou said, shaking the other boy’s hand.</p><p> </p><p>“So I hear you two are now friends?” Master Mustard asked, opening his eyes at both the boys. Master Mustard seemed to be a day over sixty. He seemed so old, yet his personality and his energy make it seem like he’s really young. “How delightful!”</p><p> </p><p>Hop and Gou gave each other a look, mentally asking each other as to whether to call this new scenario a potential “friendship.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hoppy-kins here was just asking my permission to camp out on the Isle of Armor,” Master Mustard explained to Gou. “But what’s the fun mucking around in the mid? I was telling him he should stay here- at the dojo!”</p><p> </p><p>“I mean,” Hop extended his arms above his head and folded them so that his hands were behind his head. “It’d be loads easier than camping out for a long while, but wouldn’t I be in the way?”</p><p> </p><p>“Everyone’s welcome to wear their welcome at the Master Dojo!” Master Mustard reassured him. “Don’t be shy, my boy! You too Gou! And Hop you’re practically family- Leon did train here when he was little.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah it’s true,” Hop replied to Master Mustard, but also explained to Gou. “Lee did train here when we were both kids…” Hop then stepped forward and extended his arm. “All right then. Master Mustard. You’ve twisted my arm! I hope you don’t regret it, because I’m staying!”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you for your hospitality,” Gou said, giving a proper bow forward. Raboot followed as well. “I hope not to be a burden to you.” Raboot also gave a small mutter, also thanking Master Mustard for his hospitality.</p><p> </p><p>“Woah! The more the merrier!” Mustard said, giving a full smile and happily shook. “I’m pleased as punch in a gold-plated punch bowl! Now let me explain what your Professor Sonia was talking about.”</p><p> </p><p>Hop and Gou stood up properly and focused.</p><p> </p><p>“Urshifu,” Mustard explained as he grabbed two Pokeballs from his pocket, “is one of the Pokemon I have here at the Master Dojo.”</p><p> </p><p>The two boys watched as Master Mustard brought out two different Pokemon. They both looked very similar, sporting similar height and fur coat color, but the difference was very uncanny. The left Pokemon had both hands in fists as it got into a fighting stance of some sort. The knee flaps and its sash on its head somehow were vertical, and its aura seemed to be more… dark? The other Pokemon, which was on the right side, looked similar minus the knee pads and the band on its head. Its hands were also open, but they were straight and raised. Gou raised his Rotom phone and scanned both Pokemon.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Urshifu. The Wushu Pokemon. Dark and Fighting type. Single Strike Style. This form of Urshifu is a strong believer in the one-hit KO. Its strategy is to leap in close to foes and land a devastating blow with a hardened fist.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Urshifu. The Wushu Pokemon. Water and Fighting type. Rapid Strike Style. This form of Urshifu is a strong believer in defeating foes by raining many blows down on them. Its strikes are nonstop, flowing like a river.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Mustard gave the two Pokemon a pat on their arms. “The truth is the lovable rascals are capable of Gigantamaxing too. But it’s a bit tricky, because it really can’t stand the taste of Max Mushrooms.”</p><p> </p><p>“Max Mushrooms?” Gou asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Max Mushrooms are mushroom that have the power of changing Dynamax forms,” Hop explained to the other boy. “They also boost all the stats of a single Pokemon during battle.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s amazing,” Gou remarked. “So they just… eat the mushrooms like that?”</p><p> </p><p>“Master Mustard developed a soup for the Pokemon to drink,” Hop explained. “That’s why Leon’s Charizard could Dynamax actually. His Charmander at the time drank the soup.”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s right,” Mustard remembered. “But Max Soup is off the menu for these two, unless you can make it more appealing to them.”</p><p> </p><p>“More appealing?” Gou asked.</p><p> </p><p>“There’s a certain something you can find here on the Isle of Armor, though, that’ll make even Urishifu gobble up a bowl of Max Soup.” The Master’s face turned serious and stern, alluding the boys that this part will be very important. The boys learned closer, focusing more on the master’s calm words. “That certain something is actually…”</p><p> </p><p>There was a slight pause.</p><p> </p><p>“The suspense here is killing me…” Hop muttered.</p><p> </p><p>Gou gulped his saliva.</p><p> </p><p>There was a moment of silence more more.</p><p> </p><p>Master Mustard’s serious demeanor suddenly shifted back to him being a jolly old man. He smiled and put his hands behind his back, gesturing a sense of innocence behind his intentions. “Acutally… I’ve forgotten what it is! Oopsie-doopsie!”</p><p> </p><p>Gou and Raboot fell to the ground, the suspense and seriousness of the previous seconds suddenly flying out of the window. Hop bent forward in frustration, cursing out, “Are you kidding me?! Noooooo!”</p><p> </p><p>Mustard laughed at the two boys’ reaction. He turned to Hop, “You’re even more fun to tease than your brother ever was! The certain something I’m thinking of is sure to make Max Soup more palatable to Urshifu and it has something to do with another Pokemon!”</p><p> </p><p>“Another Pokemon?” Gou questioned.</p><p> </p><p>“Now I think I’ll let the two of you figure out what it is. Give it a good think together!” Mustard turned around to his two Urshifu’s. “Now give it a good think! The world is your Cloyster, so get cracking!”</p><p> </p><p>The two boys watched as Master Mustard walked over to the office area of the Dojo, watching him continue forward and disappear into the hallway.</p><p> </p><p>“You know,” Hop said, putting his hands on his sides, “I’m pretty curious about that certain something. I think I read something about Urshifu once in a book or something. It said it lives in the mountains in some far-off region.”</p><p> </p><p>“Does it really?” Gou asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Hop confirmed. “But I think I read that Urshifu is absolutely mad for some kind of sticky honey.”</p><p> </p><p>“Honey is made from the nectar of flowers and plants,” Gou said, thinking out loud.</p><p> </p><p>“What if we need nectar made by some Pokemon that look like flowers and plants?” Hop asked the other boy. “If we look for those type of Pokemon, I’d reckon there might be lots in a forest.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then let’s go!” Gou shouted, excited to see that there was an actual lead to their plan. “There’s a forest past the marshland right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Bet I can beat you there!”</p><p> </p><p>“No I’ll beat you there!”</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Satoshi was exhausted by the time he made it to his hotel room.</p><p> </p><p>First off, thank Arceus or whatever legendary pokemon were here that allowed this hotel to stand without issues. Satoshi was finally relieved that he could finally take a rest at a warm, heated, clean, and comfortable hotel.</p><p> </p><p>He quickly stripped off all the winter clothing and stepped into the shower as soon as he got into the room. Pikachu let out the other Pokemon out of their balls as Satoshi took his time to warm himself up. Satoshi had brought everyone food from downstairs, so the Pokemon took their time and began eating while he was still in the shower.</p><p> </p><p>By the time he was done, all of his Pokemon had finished eating. Dragonite and Lucario quickly took over the other double bed as Gengar, Sirfetch’d, and Pikachu took the other bed. Satoshi sat at the desk alone, opening his take out food and his Rotom phone.</p><p> </p><p>Satoshi was surprised to see that the time only read 18:49. He landed at the Crowned Tundra around 1pm, and Peony had taken him to the research grounds and showed him around the place. He didn’t realize that was only five hours- he thought he spent the whole day there and some. Satoshi was completely exhausted at this point, and barely had any energy to actually move anymore.</p><p> </p><p>But there was one thing he had to do. The most important thing he had to do.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Gou felt his phone ring from his back pocket as he guided the Lilligant back to Hop, who was watching over the Petilil.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello?” Gou answered.</p><p> </p><p>“Gou...” Satoshi sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“Satoshi!” Gou said excitedly. “How’s the Crowned Tundra?”</p><p> </p><p>“Very... Tiring...” Satoshi sighed. “Peony showed me around and I’m super exhausted.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then go to sleep dummy,” Gou said as he crossed the bridge. Raboot assured Lilligant that everything was fine, and that its child was just across the river. “What time do you have to be there by tomorrow?”</p><p> </p><p>“5:00 am,” Satoshi sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“Oof,” Gou sighed. “Tough luck Satoshi.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah...” Satoshi finally grabbed his pair of chopsticks. “But it was a lot of fun though. I met Peony and a bunch of other nice people and-“</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry Satoshi;” Gou apologized. “I’m kinda in the middle of something right now. Can I... call you later?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure,” Satoshi smiled. “I’m actually pretty hungry and I haven’t eaten yet.”</p><p> </p><p>“When are you not hungry?” Gou chucked. “Got to go! Bye Satoshi!”</p><p> </p><p>“Bye Gou,” Satoshi said to the phone. “I love you.”</p><p> </p><p>Sadly, the phone was clicked off before he could start with that second phrase.</p><p> </p><p>Satoshi sighed as he opened the take out box and started digging in. The food itself wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t like Mr.Mime’s cooking, and it was absolutely nothing in comparison to Gou’s grandma’s stew with star shaped carrots.</p><p> </p><p>He finished his meal off before dragging himself to bed. Thankfully, the Pokemon had left him enough space to actually sleep comfortably, so Satoshi could squeeze in. The bed itself was pretty okay, but due to his tiredness, Satoshi immediately knocked out.</p><p> </p><p>He knocked out so hard that he didn’t hear Rotom going off three hours later from Gou.</p><p> </p><p>He also didn’t hear the four other attempts that night.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>After helping a Petilil find its mother, chasing and finding an Applin, and then finding a Rollipede, the two boys decided to call it a night.</p><p> </p><p>Gou wasn’t aware that Satoshi had called him just before 19:00 pm. He was so focused on the current event that he didn’t even realize that it was so late. In fact, they went around for two more hours before Gou even realized that the time was already 21:00. Heck, the sun was barely going towards sunset time, and they didn’t even know it.</p><p> </p><p>The two boys decided to share a room at the Master Dojo, so that they don’t burden Honey and Mustard more than they have to. As Hop went off to the bathroom, Gou quickly grabbed his phone and tried to call Satoshi.</p><p> </p><p>The first attempt failed, and Gou realized why. It was already past 22:00 at that point, and Satoshi was probably in deep sleep at that point. Knowing his schedule, he knew that Satoshi needed all the sleep he could get. But that didn’t stop him from calling another three times. </p><p> </p><p>Four failed attempts later, Hop returns in a pair of pajamas, and Gou falls onto his bed with a sad frown on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s wrong Gou?” Hop asked, seeing his new friend in the slumps. Raboot, who sat next to Gou, gave a light rub on the trainer’s leg. The pokemon could also sense the distress as well.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been trying to call my friend in the Crowned Tundra,” Gou sighed. “He’s not picking up.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is he a researcher too?” Hop asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Gou answered. “He’s helping out with the expedition.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh-“ Hop realized. “Sonia’s over there actually. She said she was going there so that I can come here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really?” Gou asked. “What a coincidence.”</p><p> </p><p>“It is what it is,” Hop said as he sat down on his bed. “Isn’t it?”</p><p> </p><p>Gou agreed. It was a bit uncanny that he and Satoshi got separated just the same as Hop and Sonia got separated. But he understood the circumstances. Sonia was researching the legendaries and the history of Galar, and the Crowned Tundra was packed with it. The Isle of Armor was simply an island that focused on giving Pokemon Gigantamax forms thanks to Master Mustard and his discoveries. That was more on Hop’s line of research!</p><p> </p><p>“This friend must be special to you,” Hop guessed, staring off at the ceiling of their room. “If you’re so concerned for their well-being like that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” Gou glimpsed off his phone and looked towards Hop. “My friend?”</p><p> </p><p>“In the Crowned Tundra,” Hop sighed loudly. “You really care for him, huh?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ummm…” Gou nervously backed up and sat straight up on his bed. He folded his legs together and almost backed into the corner. “H-he’s my friend and ummm-“</p><p> </p><p>Hop laughed loudly as he lifted his arms to the back of his head again. The hem of his shirt lifted up due to the action, revealing a little lib of stomach below. “Don’t worry Gou. I’m not accusing you of anything.”</p><p> </p><p>Gou nervously chuckled along with Hop’s laughter. He didn’t know whether or not if Hop actually did figure out his relationship with Satoshi, so he played cautiously and just laughed… awkwardly.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re similar to my friend,” Hop said, not noticing Gou’s nervous laughter. “His name is Soudo. He’s a gear master- so he focuses on stuff like Farfetch’d leeks, Marowak bones, and everything else.”</p><p> </p><p>“A gear master?” Gou asked. “Is that really a thing?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh very,” Hop smiled, reminiscing of his friend. “Pokemon use gear in their daily lives and in battles, so he likes to make sure it’s maintained and in prime condition. His whole team is filled with Pokemon that use gear!”</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds amazing,” Gou said, realizing that Hop is somehow relieving the small tension in his body. “What makes me remind you of Soudo?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sou is just… he really cares for others and Pokemon,” Hop started off. “He always makes sure other people are okay before he goes in and wrecks everything.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wrecks everything?” Gou asked.</p><p> </p><p>Hop paused for a second, collecting his breath before finishing his sentence. “He beat me in a proper battle. And because of that… I couldn’t battle my brother.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your brother-“ Gou suddenly remembered who Hop was. He was Leon’s younger brother!</p><p> </p><p>“He made me rethink what I wanted to do with my life,” Hop admitted. “He made me realize that there’s other stuff that’s important other than beating my brother Leon. He made me realize that there are other options in the world, and that I’m not a weak trainer.”</p><p> </p><p>Despite the vague description, Gou also found that the same could be said for Satoshi. Satoshi helped him realize that there are other pokemon in the world other than Mew, and that he wasn’t just a weak trainer.</p><p> </p><p>“Satoshi did the same for me too,” Gou said, adding on to the conversation. “Back when I was younger, all I wanted to do was catch Mew.”</p><p> </p><p>“Mew?” Hop asked, breaking his stream of conscious. “The 151st pokemon?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yup,” Gou smirked. “But Satoshi taught me that there are other pokemon in the world, and that it’s a lot more fun to be friends with everyone rather than one single Pokemon.”</p><p> </p><p>Hop sat up and asked Gou. “Why does it feel like we’re like extras or side characters?”</p><p> </p><p>Gou chuckled at the retort. “You mean why does it feel like we’re made for character development?”</p><p> </p><p>Both boys laughed loudly at their antics, laughing how they’re both rivals and best friends of the main character of the series. They didn’t realize how loud they were until one of the Dojo students knocked on their door and to quiet down. They both went to sleep after that, sleeping until the dojo gong rung the next day.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Satoshi was prepared to take on the winter coldness of the Crowned Tundra. Thanks to the research grounds, he was supplied with a professional grade orange coat and leggings. These were heavy duty, heat pack plated, and were body temperature regulating; all essential when going through the dreaded tundra. He was not prepared, however, for the guest standing in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my gosh it’s Pikachu!” Sonia said, picking up the electric mouse pokemon. “And you’re wearing a little parka too!”</p><p> </p><p>Pikachu was in fact wearing a matching orange parka. After Satoshi got his free uniform, he requested to get Pikachu a coat too. The little Parka wrapped around most of the electric mouse’s body. Minus the feet, tail, and the top of the head with his ears, Pikachu was mostly covered. He looked like a puffy orange marshmallow with a brand deal. Sonia continued to rub the yellow ears of the pokemon, ignoring the stares she was collecting from Satoshi and the other researchers.</p><p> </p><p>“Sonia?” Satoshi realized. “You’re here too?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yup,” Sonia put Pikachu back in Satoshi’s arms. “I’m here to help with the expedition too.”</p><p> </p><p>“So the whole group is here!” Peony shouted, scaring everyone in the vicinity. “Ah ha ha ha! Let’s get moving everyone!”</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go!” The researchers shouted.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go!” Satoshi joined in, along with Pikachu.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>“I’ve seen loads of Combee around…” Hop said, inspecting the island. “But no sign of Vespiquen so far.”</p><p> </p><p>The two boys were now in the middle of the Honeycalm sea on this flower shaped island called Honeycalm Island. No idea why it’s named Honeycalm Island though.</p><p> </p><p>Gou stood beside Hop, inspecting the island. Luckily, the two had Pokemon that could fly above the water that allowed them to pass over the Sharkpedo infested waters. So going there was no hassle at all.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, there was a random beep that went off.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” Hop took out from his pocket a rather bulky device. It was bigger than the Rotom phone, and it had a large antenna coming out of it. It looked identical to the tablet device that Gou had as a child, but it seemed a bit bulkier. Hop continued, “I borrowed a Power Spot Detector from Sonia, but why’s it going off now?”</p><p> </p><p>The two boys turned towards the singular tree at the center of the island. This tree was massive, possibly sporting taller than one of the smaller stadiums in Galar. It was so thick with leaves that it seemed impossible to see what was inside.</p><p> </p><p>“Is it reacting to this tree here?” Gou asked, walking over to the tree.</p><p> </p><p>“Something’s got to be up Gou,” Hop said, following behind him. “I think we should check this out.”</p><p> </p><p>The two boys were now next to the tree. They looked up, and saw a thick, gooey yellow sludge dripping down along the tree bark.</p><p> </p><p>“Honey?” Gou wondered. “Is that honey?”</p><p> </p><p>“What happens if we shake the tree?” Hop asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Should we try it?” Gou asked.</p><p> </p><p>They both looked at each other, and got into position. They each stepped on the ground firmly and then pushed with all of their strength at the tree’s trunk. The entire tree seemed to be shaking, Gou and Hop both were able to feel some sort of swaying movement going on. A loud buzzing sound erupted from the tree leaves.</p><p> </p><p>“Wh-what is happening now?” Hop asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” Gou stepped back, and saw that numerous red particles were now coming out of the ground. They were slowly rising up from the dirt below and going up along the tree trunk into the thick bundle of leaves.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait-“ Gou remembered these red particles. He remembered back in the beginning of his journey, in the Wild Area, he remembered these red particles. “Th-these are-“</p><p> </p><p>Hop turned around, looking in all directions for the source of the buzzing. Now, the buzzing began to sound louder, deeper, and more threatening in all ways than one.</p><p> </p><p>“-these are Dynamax particles!” Gou looked up, and realized what was going on. He stepped back, bumping into Hop and knocking them both to the ground.</p><p> </p><p>“G-Gou!” Hop said, trying to pick himself and Gou up from the ground. “Wh-what’s going on?”</p><p> </p><p>“Get your pokemon out!” Gou said, grabbing his poke ball. “There’s a Dynamax pokemon!”</p><p> </p><p>“A Dynamax Pokemon?” Hop quickly went to his back pocket and grabbed the Pokeball hanging along his side.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s-“ they both looked to their right and saw the massive pokemon now dominating the skies. It was a Dynamax Vespiquen, and it was way bigger than they could have ever imagined.</p><p> </p><p>“Vespiqun!” Hop realized. “That- that must be what Master Mustard was talking about!”</p><p> </p><p>“Then let’s battle it!” Gou said, firmly standing up from the ground.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s do it!” Hop shouted, throwing his Pokemon out along with Gou.</p><p> </p><p>From the two Pokeballs, Raboot and Inteleon came out. The two Galar starters stood next to each other as the Dynamax Vespiquen buzzed loudly against the two opponents.</p><p> </p><p>“Gou,” Hop asked. “Let me try something really quick.”</p><p> </p><p>“Go ahead!” Gou said, allowing his new friend to try his strategy.</p><p> </p><p>Hop grabbed Inteleon’s Pokeball and returned Inteleon inside. The Pokeball glowed pink as the Dynamax particles collected in his band. The Pokeball grew five times its size before Hop chuckled it into the air.</p><p> </p><p>Gigantamax Intelleon was very very tall. And that was no exaggeration- Gigantamax Inteleon was really high in the sky. Inteleon looked merely identical to its normal size, except for one crucial detail: its tail was super long. The Gigantamax Pokemon stood about 150 feet in the air, using its tail as a sniping podium for its height. The crest on its head faintly glowed, allowing the pokemon to gauge wind and temperature for the perfect snipe. The other feature was that now, Inteleon had an actual water-based gun that allowed it to fire more powerful and accurate shots than its fingers.</p><p> </p><p>“Inteleon!” Hop shouted. “Use Max Hailstorm!”</p><p> </p><p>Inteleon shouted as a storm cloud started looming over the island. The dark clouds quickly filled the skies as hail started to accumulate in the area. The pokemon aimed its gun and fired out an ice blast from it at the giant beehive pokemon. The ice shot accumulated and became as big as the head of the pokemon before it shot directly at the Pokemon’s sphere-like chest. Vespiquen wailed in pain, summon a horde of Combee to start accumulating around the Pokemon.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s going to use Max Flutterby!” Hop warned the other boy. “Brace yourself!”</p><p> </p><p>“Raboot use double kick on the tree branch above!” Gou commanded.</p><p> </p><p>The fire rabbit pokemon scaled the tree and used double kick on two different branches. The giant branches were quick to snap, and fell down on the battle field below. Raboot quickly hid itself before Vespiquen launched its attack. The beehive pokemon launched its move Max Flutterby, sending forward a horde of Combee. The Combees all rushed forward at the enemy, flying in all directions. Some Combee hit the Inteleon tail that allowed the Gigantamax pokemon to stand, and some rushed over to where Raboot was hiding. Using the branches, Raboot was able to completely shield itself from the massive Combee rush.</p><p> </p><p>“Use Max Hailstorm again!” Hop commanded.</p><p> </p><p>“Use Ember!” Gou shouted.</p><p> </p><p>In a matter of moments, Dynamax Vespiquen was defeated and the two researchers were able to get the honey they needed.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Satoshi sighed in relief as he realized he actually had a break.</p><p> </p><p>Over ten hours of working had passed, and it was already almost 4pm. He had been awake since 4am, and actually been with the expedition since 5am. His body was sore, aching, and it probably had hypothermia due to the amount of times he fell into a lake of icy water. The boy sat down beside the tree with Pikachu and quickly opened the tin container.</p><p> </p><p>The tin containers were all heated bentos that the research group had prepared for everyone. Inside the bento was actually a multi-tier system of different food items. The top had a container of hot Miso soup. Below it was a container with fried tonkatsu and complementing vegetables. The third tier had a white sauce that Satoshi didn’t recognize (he was told that it was good over the tonkatsu and that convinced him). And the last tier, which was at the very bottom, was the bowl of rice, pickled ginger and red peppers, and it also had little orbs filled with bonito stock. These orbs had a thin layer that allowed the soup inside to stay, similar to boba.</p><p> </p><p>He offered Pikachu another tin container of Pokemon food and helped the pokemon open it. As Pikachu cheered and started eating, Satoshi grabbed his Rotom phone and called Gou.</p><p> </p><p>Gou picked up after a few rings.</p><p> </p><p>“Satoshi?” Gou asked. “Hey!”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Gou,” Satoshi said, a smile forming on his face at the sound of his boyfriend’s voice in the receiver. “Hi.”</p><p> </p><p>“What was that?” Gou asked. Was the reception bad?</p><p> </p><p>“I said hey Gou!” Satoshi shouted louder. “Is my signal bad?”</p><p> </p><p>“I think my signal is bad,” Gou shouted back. “I’m in a cave looking for Max Mushrooms!”</p><p> </p><p>After discovering the Max Honey from Dynamax Vespiquen, Gou and Hop realized that they had zero Max Mushrooms to actually make Max Soup. Now, they were going around the Isle of Armor and were spelunking the caves for Max Mushrooms.</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds like fun,” Satoshi chuckled. “I’m next to the ruins of Regieleki and Regidraco!”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” Gou said, his voice now sounding raspy. “I- I think I-“</p><p> </p><p>“Gou?” Satoshi called.</p><p> </p><p>The call had cut.</p><p> </p><p>“Dang it,” Satoshi sighed sadly as he set his Rotom phone down.</p><p> </p><p>“What seems to be the problem?” Sonia asked, taking the seat next to him.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m trying to call my friend at the Isle of Armor,” Satoshi asked. “And the signal got cut off.”</p><p> </p><p>“Aww,” Sonia sighed, opening the lid to her tin container. “What a bummer.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah…” Satoshi placed the tonkatsu pieces over the rice and simply ate a piece of the meat. His sad demeanor quickly turned positive as he realized the piece of tonkatsu tasted really good. “HMMMMM!”</p><p> </p><p>Sonia chuckled as she separated her different tubs. “Try it with the sauce. It tastes even better.”</p><p> </p><p>“No way-“ Satoshi quickly took the other half of the piece and dipped it in the white sauce. He stuff the rest of it in his mouth, and moaned loudly as he could taste the different flavors coming in. There was the salty pork from the tonkatsu, a creaminess from the sauce, some acid from what seemed to be shallots in the sauce, but there was some sort of umami coming from the sauce as well. “This is really good! What’s this green thing?”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s tarragon,” Sonia told the boy. “It’s a spice they added in with the sauce. People sometimes use this in curries too.”</p><p> </p><p>“You really know your food, huh Professor Sonia?” Satoshi asked as he continued eating.</p><p> </p><p>Sonia chuckled. “I like to cook popular food trends, so I learned over the years what some stuff was.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s really cool!” Satoshi said, distracted with the bowl of food in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“I couldn’t help but overhear Satoshi,” Sonia said, staring at his Rotom Phone. “But you seemed to be sad that you couldn’t talk to your friend?”</p><p> </p><p>“We were supposed to talk over the phone yesterday,” Satoshi told the professor. “But Gou seems to be distracted with everything at the Isle of Armor.”</p><p> </p><p>“The Isle of Armor?” Sonia asked. “Oh Gou! The boy with the Raboot!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Satoshi sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s with Hop!” Sonia smiled. “He’s in good hands Satoshi!”</p><p> </p><p>“Who’s Hop?” He asked the orange haired professor.</p><p> </p><p>“Hop is my assistant!” Sonia bragged. “He’s researching the Dynamax phenomenon at the Isle of Armor! And he’s such a sweet boy!”</p><p> </p><p>“He… he is?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hop helped me with a lot of recent discoveries,” Sonia said, reminiscing the recent work done at the lab. “Like the discovery that Zacian and Zamazenta helped stop the Darkest Day! He played a big part of that!”</p><p> </p><p>And as Sonia continued on and on with the work that Hop and her were able to do, Satoshi started to become sad. Hop sounded like an amazing guy. Just from the compliments and the amount of stuff Sonia mentioned, Hop sounded way smarter than Satoshi. Hop seemed to be leagues higher and more versed than Satoshi ever will be. Even he started feeling positive vibes from Hop, and he shouldn’t be.</p><p> </p><p>Wait, what should he be feeling? Should Satoshi be okay with Gou working with Hop? Gou will only work in the name of research, and from what he’s hearing, Hop is following his dreams of researching. The two seem to have more similar paths more than he and Gou did actually.</p><p> </p><p>“...Satoshi?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm?” Satoshi snapped back to reality.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re letting snow accumulate over your rice.” </p><p> </p><p>Satoshi looked down and saw a small pile of ice and snow over his bowl of steaming rice. He quickly dumped the debris off the rice and continued eating. His rice was now a bit slushy and cold due to the temperature and the ice, but he kept eating. He needed all the energy he can get from this food after all. There was still another four hours of expedition after this.</p><p> </p><p>He just hoped that he could call Gou at least once on this trip.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Gou slid into bed with a full stomach that day.</p><p> </p><p>Hop and Gou returned from exploring the caves and Honeycalm Island and returned with three Max Mushrooms, and a jar of Max Honey. Master Mustard was proud of them and offered to use their ingredients to create Max Soup for them. They watched as the Dojo members worked together in the kitchen. There was a team solely for chopping vegetables, a team for preparing the Max Mushrooms, and Master Mustard himself preparing the Max Honey.</p><p> </p><p>In the end, both Urshifus drank the soup happily. They both gained their gigantamax forms and they seemed content with the soup.</p><p> </p><p>Raboot was also able to get a share, and apparently it also got its gigantamax form. According to Master Urshifu, pokemon with Gigantamax forms can also gain their forms within their pre evolutions, and will simply gain them once they evolve into their final states. Gou remembered that Leon had his Charmander gain it’s gigantamax form back then, and realized that Raboot had gone through the same process.</p><p> </p><p>Gou laid in bed, content with the contents of his day. Everything was going well in the Isle of Armor. He and Hop had been able to research the Gigantamax phenomenon more, they were able to learn more about Dynamaxing in general, and Gou was able to have fun and catch a few pokemon.</p><p> </p><p>He was really happy about this trip truth be told. Gou was satisfied with his progress and with the amount that he had learned throughout this trip. Not to mention, Hop was really good companion.</p><p> </p><p>Hop was really knowledgeable about his research and to what he was doing. He practically lead their expedition throughout the isle and figured out where to go, which pokemon to research into, and he also figured out the Max honey situation. The boy was also a very strong trainer, as seen with his Inteleon. He was also in the Word Championships, and was also claiming the ranks too.</p><p> </p><p>Gou felt really blessed to have met such a person like Hop. He felt full of himself, as if Hop was intentionally bringing out the best elements out of him and allowing him to express them freely without restraint. This boy he had been adventuring for the past few days had allowed him to be open, free, and allowed him to be happy with himself.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Gou,” Hop said, entering the room with the towel wrapped around his neck. He was back in pajama attire again, having recently gone into the shower after dinner. His fluffy purple hair had been blown dry, so the purple blob was still wiggly and had not set in its hold. “What’chu up to mate?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just thinking about how much fun these past few days are,” Gou said, smiling as he reminisced over the day’s events. “We got to see so many cool Pokemon not found in Galar. Plus, I’m learning so much more about this Gigantamax phenomenon and I just… I just want to know more.”</p><p> </p><p>“It has been really fun,” Hop said as he unwrapped his towel. He set the towel to dry by hanging it at the end of the bed at the bedpost. “So how’s your friend?”</p><p> </p><p>“M-my friend?” Gou asked, confused as to who he was referring to.</p><p> </p><p>“Your friend in the Crowned Tundra?” Hop asked. “You know, the guy you’ve been trying call?”</p><p> </p><p>Gou’s eyes widened at the realization of what was going on. His body stiffened as his mind flooded with memories of the boy that took his heart just over eight months ago.</p><p> </p><p>Hop realized what was about to happen and moved towards his bed before Gou jumped out of his. He jumped and landed on the floor with a loud thud that echoed across the bedroom. Gou quickly dashed out of the room, unaware that he had just left his Pokemon and Hop alone in the room.</p><p> </p><p>Gou dashed out of the dojo’s hallways and escaped out to the open balcony on the second floor. The view form there can see the vast ocean now full of Sharkpedo and Tentacool. The side of the mountain that surrounded the power spot behind the dojo was towards Gou’s left, tall and rocky enough that no one could really scale it. It did, however, close off the left side of his peripherals so that he could focus more on the moon that was now over them. The boy quickly dialed Satoshi’s number on speed dial and held the Rotom phone beside his ear.</p><p> </p><p>The phone rang several times. Each time it did, Gou breathed heavily, not noticing how panicked or how shocked he was. He was too angry with himself about forgetting about Satoshi. He was angry that his mind had completely side plated him and that he had no recollection of him until Hop brought it up. Gou was so angry that he didn’t notice that he was three seconds into voice mail. He hung up and called again.</p><p> </p><p>And again.</p><p> </p><p>And again.</p><p> </p><p>And again.</p><p> </p><p>Gou had called a total of seven times that night. After attempt number four, he broke down in tears and sat alone at the balcony. He sat by himself, the warm, hot air of the Isle of Armor surrounding him with guilt and misery.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Satoshi woke up at 4am again and met Sonia outside at 5am. The research team properly met up around 5:30, and by 6am they had already started their adventure.</p><p> </p><p>As the team headed into the tundra, the only thing that ran in Satoshi’s mind was the seven missed calls he had coming from Gou. Satoshi felt bad that he had not picked up the phone, but he was asleep at the time. And he told Rotom to not enable sound on for the night because he really needed the sleep for this expedition. It was the biggest expedition for the time he was here.</p><p> </p><p>Today, they were going to research potentially tracks and rumors of Ultra Beasts that were found in the Crowned Tundra. Satoshi shook his head and decided to hold off Gou’s calls and focused on keeping up with the group. He couldn’t slack off today, and he can’t start now.</p><p> </p><p>With Sonia beside him and Pikachu on his shoulder, Satoshi brushed forward and continued hiking.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Professor Burnet was feeding her baby breakfast when her cell phone rang. The white haired woman feed the last spoonful of the baby food to her son before looking over to see who was calling. Recently, she was getting a bunch of scam callers and was very angry about how the phone companies were selling her number to random advertisers. She was about to hit end call but she saw her screen filled with a picture of Gou- and Gou’s name on the caller ID. She never picked up the phone faster.</p><p> </p><p>“Gou!” Burnet cheered. “Sweetie! What’s wrong?”</p><p> </p><p>“Professor Burnet?” Gou asked, making sure she could hear him correctly. “You there?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m here Gou,” Professor Burnet smiled, putting the phone on speaker so that she could get back to the task on hand. “Are you okay sweetie?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m…” Gou sighed loudly. She could hear the boy muttering something to someone else before the phone made an abrupt sound. There was some shuffling and some walking before Gou went back on the line. “Sorry- had to go upstairs to the bedroom.”</p><p> </p><p>“How are you sweetie?” She asked, this time changing the question. She also got another spoonful and looked over to baby Satoshi. “Say awwww.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you feeding baby Satoshi?” Gou asked, now nervous and stuttering. “I-I can call back later…”</p><p> </p><p>“Nonsense!” Burnet boasted as she made the spoon of baby food fly around like an airplane. “You’d only call me if something happened, so tell me what’s wrong Gou.”</p><p> </p><p>Gou gulped and paused, taking another breath before continuing. “I… I haven’t been a good boyfriend to Satoshi…”</p><p> </p><p>“Awww,” Burnet sighed. “What’s wrong? Did you two fight over something?”</p><p> </p><p>“No…” Gou sighed. He accumulated the full statement of what he wanted to say in his mind before he said it to Burnet. “It’s just that… we haven’t talked in a few days.”</p><p> </p><p>“Did something happen between you two?” Burnet asked once again. “Say ahhh sweetie.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ahh-“ Gou realized she was referring to baby Satoshi. “I mean- Satoshi and I haven’t seen each other in a few days.”</p><p> </p><p>“What’s wrong with that?” She asked, feeding a spoonful to her child.</p><p> </p><p>“Satoshi’s in the Crowned Tundra and I’m here at the Isle of Armor,” he explained. “We… haven’t called each other and talked due to… busy-ness.”</p><p> </p><p>“I see,” Burnet said as she got a napkin and wiped the drool and missed food off baby Satoshi. “But why are you so sad Gou?”</p><p> </p><p>Gou sighed loudly, making sure that no one was around him as he explained to the professor. “It’s just… I met a boy…”</p><p> </p><p>“A boy?” Burnet asked with some skepticism. “Do you mean a boy?” She asked with a clear tone, “or a boy?” With an exaggerated tone.</p><p> </p><p>Gou realized what she meant and quickly shook his head no. “GaHHH- no not that way! I met Professor Sonia’s new assistant and he’s been with me exploring the Gigantamax phenomenon in the Isle of Armor!”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah- that explains it.” Burnet went back to feeding her baby. “So talk to me Gou. What happened?”</p><p> </p><p>Gou went on and explained everything that had been going on. How he had been exploring how to Gigantamax Urshifu, and how they battled a dynamaxed Vespiquen. He made sure to leave no detail behind. Meanwhile, Burnet had to shuffle around and was now holding Satoshi in her arms, juggling him and holding him as she was bottle feeding him.</p><p> </p><p>“So you’re saying Hop made you forget about Satoshi?” Burnet asked once more for clarification.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Gou sighed. “And yesterday night I was questioning something… bad.”</p><p> </p><p>“What bad thing have you been thinking of?”</p><p> </p><p>“I… I felt content… with Hop.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh? What does that mean?”</p><p> </p><p>“Umm…”</p><p> </p><p>“Gou…”</p><p> </p><p>“Umm…”</p><p> </p><p>“Gou… did you say what I thought you said?”</p><p> </p><p>“No!” Gou exclaimed. “I’m just- ack! I just think that even if Satoshi and I separate I would have been fine if I was researching with Hop!”</p><p> </p><p>The words lingered in the air like the thick, humid heat of the Isle of Armor. They remained floating, surrounding, and worst of all, it burned his heart.</p><p> </p><p>“Gou…” Burnet sighed. “Are you sure about-“</p><p> </p><p>“-I have to go-“</p><p> </p><p>“-Gou!”</p><p> </p><p>Gou hung up after that. Burnet quickly grabbed her phone and tried to redial the number, but it went straight to voice mail.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh boy…” Burnet said as she stood up from her chair. “Let’s… get you cleaned up.”</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Professor Kukui had just finished feeding Melmetal when he received a phone call from the lab. He had been getting a lot of calls after he had been exposed as Royal Mask for brand deals, promotions, and sponsorships. He sighed heavily as he walked over to the phone, realizing that he would have to reject another offer.</p><p> </p><p>The man had been very deep in the new variation of moves from Galar, and had been trying to research them from Alola. Because of this, he had been postponing all things Royal Mask and had actually been trying to do his job.</p><p> </p><p>Kukui was about to just drop the call, but realized who showed up on the caller ID. He picked up the phone immediately and exclaimed, “Satoshi?”</p><p> </p><p>“Professor Kukui?” Satoshi asked, wondering if he could hear him. “Can you hear me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Loud and clear!” Kukui shouted. “Where are you anyways?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m in the Crowned Tundra!” Satoshi explained. “I’m helping Professor Sonia and Peony with their expedition!”</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds exciting!” Kukui laughed loudly. “So how’s Gou?”</p><p> </p><p>Satoshi froze in place- not from the cold but from the sudden ask about Gou’s presence. “H-he’s not here... he’s at the Isle of Armor.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh!” Kukui realized. “Is... is that why you called?”</p><p> </p><p>“W-what do you mean?” Satoshi asked.</p><p> </p><p>Kukui chuckled. “Satoshi. I know you don’t call unless something happened. So. Did you two fight?”</p><p> </p><p>The boy in the orange winter outfit sighed loudly as he took a seat at his spot. Currently, they were all on break before continuing on to the next point. “We... we were separated and we haven’t been able to call each other...”</p><p> </p><p>“I see...” Kukui said, realizing that Satoshi just misses his boyfriend. “So what’s filling up your mind?”</p><p> </p><p>“My mind?” Satoshi asked for clarification.</p><p> </p><p>“You tend to overthink things and then it becomes this random thing that could never happen,” Kukui explained. “So what is it?”</p><p> </p><p>“I...” Satoshi hated that Kukui knew him so well. “I think Gou forgot about me... and that he hates me for not calling him at the times he’s free... and that he-“</p><p> </p><p>“Pika?” Pikachu jumped out of its spot and dabbed his cheek. He had started crying.</p><p> </p><p>“I see...” Kukui sighed. “You think Gou will forget about you?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m worried about losing Gou...” Satoshi teared up more. “He’s... he means everything to me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Aww Satoshi...” Kukui swooned at the sound of him whimpering and crying. He really was a protective father, wasn’t he? “Tell you what. I’ll call Gou and I’ll text you what happens.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you Professor Kukui...” Satoshi whimpered, wiping his tears with a napkin- his sleeve was too rough and cold. “I’ll call you later?”</p><p> </p><p>“You better!” Kukui shouted. “See ya kid!”</p><p> </p><p>Satoshi hung up the phone, and Professor Kukui went and called his wife.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello?”</p><p> </p><p>“Burnet?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes dear?”</p><p> </p><p>“I just got a call from Satoshi!” He exclaimed proudly. “He finally called!”</p><p> </p><p>“Funny,” Burnet held the phone to her face and set off speaker. “Gou called me... and he didn’t sound too happy.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait...” Kukui put the pieces together. “He didn’t sound happy either?”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait...” Burnet realized that Satoshi wasn’t happy when calling Kukui. “What do you mean didn’t sound happy either?”</p><p> </p><p>“Babe...” Kukui sighed. “We need to talk about this.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah we do,” Burnet said, standing up.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>oooo a cliff hanger? Ah ha ha ha I love being evil.</p><p>There's a lot of tension in the air now, and what will happen next? Hehehehe y'all just have to wait. </p><p>Oh! And some things I would like to mention!<br/>1) Hop's rival Shoudo is based off the manga male counterpart.<br/>2) Yes the Hop and Master Mustard interaction is literally word by word because why not.<br/>3) I honestly don't know what will happen in the Crowned Tundra but I know Sonia's there.<br/>4) the very beginning part is based of Raboot and Riolu, another work I wrote that talks about their interaction. It's a really funny read if you like that type of stuff.</p><p>Umm... Check me out on Tumblr @Negira1239_pokemon_blog because why not. You can see more shenanigans there. See y'all there I guess!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! I changed the end notes for the story to make it more fit.</p><p>Here’s some things:<br/>1) I’m open to suggestions. If you have any ideas, let me know and I can incorporate them.<br/>2) I recently posted on tumblr some random sketches of chapter 1’s Bob’s Your Uncle Bill scene, and I realized if you have any art or if you’re inspired by this work, tag #Hiding_In_Public on tumblr and I can see them! I would be honored if someone took the time to draw something.<br/>3) speaking of tumblr. Follow me there! Or chat with me! It’s Negira1239 and I have a Pokémon blog.<br/>4) I honestly don’t know if I want to end this because I have so many scenarios and ideas for this due to actual real life experiences. So yeah...</p><p>Thanks y’all!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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